Warrior Kotoko
by Faerex
Summary: As if things weren't hard enough, Kotoko finds herself the sole defender of Japan against a supernatural evil. Now she has to juggle college, friends, tennis practice and fighting evil, all whilst hiding her heroine lifestyle from her super genius crush.
1. Chapter 1

**Warrior Kotoko**

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><p><span>Summary: <span>Kotoko thought she had enough to deal with already but then she finds herself handed the responsibility of protecting Japan from a mysterious, supernatural evil, and Kotoko finds that as well as juggling college and brutal tennis practices, she now has to hide her heroine lifestyle whilst living with her super genius crush.

Takes place in the manga verse. Some events from the manga will occur but the timings will differ quite a lot and some characters will appear earlier.

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><p><span>Chapter One<span>

Warrior of the Key

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><p>She should've known better. Every time she woke up full of optimism of obtaining her Irie-kun, Kotoko would find her day going swiftly downhill. And since she had woken up today in particularly high spirits, energised and extra determined to win over Irie-kun, she really should've known that her day would go straight to hell.<p>

Her good mood quickly dissipated as she realised that she had spent far too long getting ready for college that Irie-kun had already left and she was going to be late if she didn't get a move on. Kotoko made it to the station on time but was once again groped by some perverted passenger.

Grumbling herself away to her first lecture, an English language class that she shared with Irie-kun (the only class they shared), her mood worsened as she saw that he was already seated, and next to that dratted Reiko Matsumoto too. There was no space near them so sighing Kotoko settled herself near the front, sort of wishing she hadn't transferred English classes just so she could be in the same one as Irie-kun, then she could sit with her friends.

Things only got worse as the lecturer called on her to answer some questions and she got the answers wrong. All of them. Kotoko sighed in aggravation as the lecturer scolded her and the rest of the class laughed. Glancing quickly over her shoulder told her that yes; Irie-kun and Matsumoto were some of the ones laughing. The lecturer then announced that he wanted them to do an assignment to be handed in a week's time and as well as that; there would be a test then too. Kotoko refrained from banging her head against the desk...barely.

Any solace Kotoko might have received from the company of her best friends Jinko and Satomi was dampened greatly by Kinnosuke being his usual embarrassing self and humiliating her in front of the entire cafeteria. As the laughter directed at her started to die down, Kotoko vowed that she would start eating outside, even in the rain, to avoid future humiliation.

When it came to tennis practice things looked as though they would start to look up, particularly since Irie-kun had actually turned up for once. However Kotoko was quickly proved wrong as practice turned out to be more brutal than usual with Sudou-sempai, due to the presence of Matsumoto, was trying to make himself look good by making Kotoko do one hundred sit ups, one hundred press ups and then run laps around the court before finally delegating her as a ball collector. The weather matched her foul mood perfectly, the sky was beginning to darken, the clouds seem to grow thicker but this did not deter Sudou-sempai in the slightest.

Her rival decided to grace Kotoko with her presence while she did all this, Matsumoto kept teasing her for being stupid and how sorry she felt for Irie-kun for having to constantly put up with Kotoko making him look bad. Of course Irie-kun said nothing to defend her and in a huff Kotoko went to find a partner to practice with. Unfortunately for her Sudou-sempai was the only one available and Matsumoto's presence was still causing him to act manically. Kotoko was aware, in between dodging balls and falling over, that the manga club were hiding about the court and covertly taking pictures of her and scribbling notes down.

And, on top of all this, Sudou-sempai told her the rumour that Irie-kun was planning on moving out of the Irie household.

So at the end of practice it was a very grumpy and dejected Kotoko that was ordered by Sudou-sempai to put the equipment away. With a few tennis racquet cases and her sports bag slung over her shoulders and the tennis ball box clasped unsteadily in her hands, she caught sight of Matsumoto and Irie-kun walking off in the distance, Sudou-sempai running after them and leaving her all alone on court. Forgetting herself for a moment, Kotoko accidentally loosened a hand from the box causing it to slip, balls falling to the floor. She reached out to catch one and ended up tripping over another one, landing on her face and grazing her knee. The tennis racquets she carried on her shoulders hit her in the head as she landed, followed shortly by her own bag full of clothes and books.

Gritting her teeth, Kotoko grabbed the balls closest to her and shoved them viciously back into the box. She then set out fetching the other balls, further wasting her time. Once she had them all, Kotoko all but stomped to the storage room and savagely put the kit away. She was sure, just to spite her, as soon as Kotoko stepped outside again; she was immediately caught in a downpour of rain.

She ran as fast as she could from the college campus, making her way through the streets and cursing herself for not bringing an umbrella. Kotoko shivered in her flimsy white t-shirt and tennis skirt and on a whim, as she came to the park entrance, decided to find a refuge there and outwait the rain before heading to the station.

Kotoko headed further into the park then she meant to, desiring a better shelter than a dripping tree. The flat lawns and flower beds disappeared giving way to hedges and tall, old trees lining the paths. Not once did Kotoko notice that no other soul was present in the park. She took a random path and eventually Kotoko stumbled upon a wooden structure standing at the centre of a clearing that was surrounded by a ring of trees, another path at the other side of the clearing leading off somewhere else. The wooden structure was simple, a raised square platform with a beam in each corner, holding up a slanted roof. It was the perfect shelter from the rain.

Kotoko crawled up onto it gratefully, huddling her knees to her chest and watching the pouring rain sullenly. Her hair had started to come loose from her side buns in tangled strands and with her completely drenched clothing, Kotoko felt like a drowned rat. If Irie-kun could see her now she knew he would most definitely laugh and insult her. Then laugh again probably.

She sighed, resting her head against a wooden beam. She had quite enough insults and taunts for today, thank you very much. She didn't need to go home and hear the object of her affections insult her further, not to mention his brother Yuki, a mini Naoki in the making.

"_Help me_," a voice whispered.

Kotoko shrieked and whipped her head up, looking around wildly. But there was nobody else there. She sighed. The day must be getting to her and she was beginning to imagine things. Yeah, that must be it. She looked up at the rain, seeing it had not changed at all, the rain was still thick and the sky a dark grey but at least it was still light. She checked her watch and saw it was coming up to half five. Definitely not the right setting for spooky happenings. Just as Kotoko was about to dismiss the incident, she heard the voice again.

"_Help me...please help me_!" the voice was slightly louder this time and definitely more urgent.

Kotoko looked up in confusion. That voice...it wasn't coming from around her, it wasn't her ears that had picked it up. She had heard that voice in her head. She looked to the skies, and just as she was beginning to fear for her sanity, her eyes widened as she saw something falling that was definitely not a drop of water.

The object moved with an extreme velocity, slamming into the ground right in front of the wooden structure, the impact causing a huge amount of dirt to dislodge from the earth and splatter her. Kotoko spluttered in indignation, wiping the mud from her face. She scowled as she looked down at the ground but this quickly turned into a gasp as she saw the object had caused a mini crater about two metres wide and more than a metre deep. Kotoko, not wanting to step down onto the mud, crawled to the edge of the wooden structure and leaning on her front, reached down into the crater and felt for the object. Her hand felt a warm, metal object, it wasn't too hot though and she clasped it, pulling herself back up. Unclasping her hand, Kotoko stared in amazement at the object she held.

It was a silver key, about three and a half inches long, with a looping, sturdy, heart- shaped handle and ornate golden wings just below the handle. A bronze coloured vine wrapped along the key length from the silver teeth to the wings, decorated with delicate and detailed golden leaves. A thick, silver chain looped through the heart handle and Kotoko decided to put it around her neck for fun. It was surprisingly light around her neck and Kotoko admired its beauty but this quickly turned to alarm as the key started to glow with a faint white light.

"_Please help me!_" a voice cried. Kotoko could suddenly identify the voice as female.

"Where are you?" Kotoko shouted, before it occurred to her the person might not be able to hear her if she heard their voice in her mind.

"They're coming!" Kotoko looked around anxiously.

"Who is?"

As if to answer her question, two large dark objects that were very much larger than the key, heck, even larger than her, crashed without warning into the ground. As the mud settled, Kotoko observed in horror two hunched up scaly creatures crouched on the ground, bracing the impact. Then, slowly, they rose from the ground and Kotoko gave a shriek of terror, backing further into her temporary sanctuary.

They were hideous. Their bodies were human- like except covered in dark, indigo scales and the tails protruding from their bodies were covered with a series of sharp spikes and curved into a particularly deadly looking spike at the end. As the creatures stood, wicked looking claws protruded from their fingers. The scariest thing about them was their face.

Their heads were bald; they didn't even have ears, just slits in the side of their head and a slit for a nose. Their heads turned sharply to Kotoko as they sensed her and their eyes opened, revealing menacing red eyes, glittering intently as they caught sight of her. Their mouths opened in a twisted grin, revealing sharp fangs and releasing creepy tittering sounds as they focused on the key around her neck. Then without warning, they crouched forwards and skittered towards her. Kotoko screamed and did the only thing she could think of, she ran.

She ran and ran, hearing a horrific pounding sound as the creatures gave chase, vaguely realising she was heading further from the park entrance but she couldn't go back that way now. A large cracking sound told her they had leapt onto the wooden structure and probably caused a lot of damage, not that she was going to turn and look back.

"_I can give you assistance_," the voice said anxiously, "_If you let me_." Kotoko barely registered it. She silently thought that as long as she didn't end up being mauled by those creatures then she didn't care what happened.

"_Will you trust me_?" the melodious voice asked soothingly.

Kotoko didn't really have a choice. _YES_, she thought firmly, shouting it out too for good measure.

The key glowed again; Kotoko closed her eyes and ran blindly, not being able to stand the bright light and the rain. She only opened her eyes when she felt two heavy objects weighing down her arms and she looked down to find she was holding a sword and shield.

"What!" Kotoko screeched. "Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do with these?"

"_It's all I can do_," the voice said apologetically. "_But you can do this, the key chose you after all and it would not have done so if you were not up to the task_."

"I didn't agree to this!" Kotoko yelled hysterically. "I can't, I'm stupid and clumsy. I can't do this. Irie-kun, save me!"

"_Irie-kun, whoever that is, cannot save you. Only you can save you_," the voice told her firmly.

"ARGH!" Kotoko screamed as she tripped and fell. The creatures howled in glee and she barely managed to roll over and bring her shield in front of her to block the claws of one of the creatures, knocking the thing backwards with a thud. There was a shriek as another set of claws descended. Without knowing what she was doing, Kotoko jumped up, lifting the sword and swung it down hard. The jarring of her shoulder and an outraged howl greeted her as Kotoko saw to her astonishment that she had actually managed to tear the blade into one of the creatures. It exploded into a cloud of strange, dark particles.

The other creature, recovering from the blow from the shield, snarled and leapt towards her. Unprepared for it, Kotoko dropped the sword as she staggered backwards. The creature advanced on her and its mouth stretched into a hideous grin. The creature advanced on her, its grin stretching even further. It lunged for her again and again, Kotoko only just managed to block the blows with her heavy shield. She panted hard, feeling herself tire out. The creature could sense this too and with a mighty lunge, managed to knock the shield from her arms using it's tail.

There was a pause as Kotoko met its malevolent gaze. Quick as a flash it moved and Kotoko closed her eyes, bringing her arms up as if to shield herself, not that it would do much good. She suddenly felt a strange, vibrating feeling pass through her arms and a low, crackling sound made her open her eyes to see a white light form at the end of hands into a glowing orb. Kotoko didn't hesitate and threw it at the monster, knocking it backwards. Kotoko did a sideward roll and with a quickness she never knew she possessed, picked up her fallen sword and turned, thrusting it forward with all her might as the creature leapt up again, other arm outstretched as she somehow willed another energy orb to slam into the creature at the exact moment the sword impaled its body. The creature howled and burst into tiny pieces that vanished into nothingness. Kotoko sunk to her knees in disbelief, barely comprehending what had happened.

She suddenly became aware that her clothes felt funny upon her body, heavier somehow. Kotoko looked down at herself to find that she was wearing armour. Her legs were clad in white, knee high boots. She wore a white, cap sleeved tunic that bore the insignia of the key that had somehow vanished from around her neck. Beneath the tunic was a silver chainmail, it was heavy but not too heavy not thick. A brown leather belt sat snugly around her waist bearing a sheath for her sword and various pockets. Kotoko vaguely observed that her hands were enclosed in white gloves, and from her wrists she wore arm cuffs made from a brown leather material that came ended just before the elbow. The sleeves of the chainmail ended just below her elbows.

"_If you looked in a mirror, you will find your face has been disguised_," the voice said suddenly, making Kotoko gasp.

"Just...just what was that?" she stammered. "What were those things? Where did they come from? What are they doing here?" the questions poured from her mouth before she could stop them. "And _who_ are you?" The last bit was said a bit accusingly.

"_You might want to find somewhere comfortable to sit_," the voice said. "_This may take a while_."

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><p>Hours later when Kotoko finally arrived home she found the members of Irie household still up, sitting in the living room. The Irie family and her dad regarded her in various states of shocked (Irie-kun looking hardly affected and Oba-sama and dad looking the most shocked). Yuki-kun made a rude comment about her dirty clothes and the state she was in but was quickly shushed by Oba-sama. Dad questioned her about where she had been all this time and Kotoko cited an act or two of extreme clumsiness and hen mentioned she was going to clean up and go to bed, politely refusing Oba-sama's offer of food. They all watched as she trudged up the stairs in a seemingly dejected manner.<p>

In a reality Kotoko was just exhausted. After explaining everything to her, the mysterious person had given brief instructions how to use the key, shield and sword, which Kotoko had practiced with for a bit before coming home. It was only after she had bathed and changed into her favourite pair of comfy pyjamas that Kotoko allowed herself to think on what she had been told. Kotoko lay back onto her bed with a sigh.

The voice's speaker had identified themselves as a Princess Minako. She was, she claimed, from another dimension. Those creatures that had attacked were only from the lowliest ranks of a vast demon army that had invaded her world. Those people left had been forced to flee across dimensions to escape the carnage that followed. Princess Minako herself was trapped between dimensions and had sent the key, a manifestation of a power the princess held, to find help.

And, it turned out, the key had chosen Kotoko.

Kotoko had vehemently declared that she wasn't fit for the role. Princess Minako (_just call me Mina_) apologised and said that another could not be chosen now and that the key had judged Kotoko to be worthy. Mina reminded her of the fight when Kotoko had wielded magic. That, Mina told her, was Kotoko's own power and the key had just awoken it. The key merely turned into protective armour and provided weapons. Mina told her how she had used her own diminishing powers to send out similar keys that would in time find and awaken those with similar dormant powers to Kotoko. Kotoko had briefly thought of asking Irie-kun to help her but what the princess had told her next had made her blood run cold.

Mina had said that her world was not the only one that had been invaded by the demons, the Jinn; it was only one of many that the Jinn had descended upon. Now that her world had been consumed, the Jinn had turned their attention to this one next.

Mina had been unable to find those with the power to save her own world in time and so was determined to save this world. However she had been trapped in an in- between place before she could complete the jump to this world and so Mina had created the keys and sent them using her dwindling powers to find those with dormant magic and awaken them so they could defend this world from the demons.

Mina only had enough power left to protect herself in the in- between place and could communicate with the key holders as she recuperated. In the meantime, each key held a spirit of some sort that could guide the holder and communicate with the princess without her using her powers. However even in her own world, Mina warned, those with this dormant magic were rare and hard to find so the other keys may take time in finding suitable hosts, for they not only looked for those with dormant magic but those with good character who would not be swayed by the demons manipulations.

Meaning that for now, Kotoko was the only one who could defend Earth, the universe even, against these demons.

The thought that she, clumsy, untalented, bumbling Kotoko was the sole defender of her universe was too much for her to take and her eyes rolled back into her head as she passed out.

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><p>Naoki was slightly surprised as he made his way home and saw that there was no Kotoko following him like she usually did. He became a bit worried as he boarded the train and it started raining hard, recalling that Kotoko had forgotten an umbrella. He hadn't seen her at the station either and wondered where she was before shaking his head and deciding to forget about her.<p>

But when he got home and three hours had passed, Naoki wasn't the only one who had become worried as they sat at the table for dinner. Just as he was about to go out and look for Kotoko (under the pretence of taking Chibi for a walk of course), and his mother had wildly suggested calling the police, the phone rang. His mother answered it and visibly sagged with relief. It was Kotoko and she was on her way home. She apologised for the delay and told Oba-sama not to worry about her dinner. Naoki was annoyed but he felt relieved too that Kotoko was ok after all.

His annoyance once again turned to worry when Kotoko had finally stumbled through the door just shy of ten o'clock. Naoki had been sitting with everyone else in the living room and even though no one had said it, he knew that they were waiting for Kotoko too. He regarded her appearance in shock but hid it well. Kotoko hadn't changed from her tennis uniform and her clothes were stained with mud and drenched from the rain and Naoki spied a few bruises on her arms and legs. He seriously doubted they were caused by the klutz attacks Kotoko claimed to have. She looked absolutely exhausted, as if she had been through a lot, and as she trudged upstairs under their watchful eyes, he wondered what had caused it.

Naoki had one of his rare moments where his need to look after Kotoko overruled his desire to be unaffected by her. When his mother was busy doing something else, Naoki took up a tray of food and knocked at Kotoko's door. Hearing no reply, he opened the door and went in carrying the tray.

She was asleep, curled up on her bed beneath the covers. Naoki silently moved closer and made a small smile when he saw the cute expression on her face as she slept peacefully. He searched her face as if to find any clues of her earlier state. Finding nothing, Naoki went quietly from the room, tray still in his hands, closing the door softly behind him.

Peeking from his room, Yuki observed this all closely and was thankful that his mother had not witnessed that moment; she surely would've created a fuss and tried to film it. Truth be told he had been worried about Kotoko as well and if she was resting, he didn't want his mother to disturb her.

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><p>Kotoko did not sleep well for long. Her harmless dreams soon threw up images of menacing smiles and sharp claws piercing her skin. She woke up in a cold sweat and touched the key around her neck for reassurance. Since Mina did not have enough strength to keep in constant contact, Kotoko would have to depend on the spirit in her key, a spirit called Ripo, who would tell her when there was danger and who would give her advice. Kotoko vowed to find a way to free Mina so they could fight together. She could not do this on her own.<p>

In the meantime Ripo had suggested Kotoko should build up her strength and improve her stamina by taking up as much exercise as she could. Tomorrow they would practice more with the sword and shield, the beginning of one of many training sessions. Ripo would also show Kotoko his true form, all she had felt of his presence so far was his voice. Most importantly, he would teach her how to manipulate her magic.

She would need to train hard too. Both Mina and Ripo had warned that the demons she had face were not the worse. The higher ranked demons had the ability to morph shapes, meaning that they could blend in as humans or any other animal they chose. Ripo would be able to sense their presence over a certain distance but Kotoko needed to be trained to do so too.

Kotoko staggered out of bed to stand in front of the mirror in her room. Touching the key, she concentrated her willpower like Mina had told her to and transformed into her Warrior of the Key form. The key disappeared and dissolved into her as she transformed.

This time Kotoko could observe her face, which she saw was completely disguised, hiding her true identity. Her face was completely covered with a white mask that made of a thin, metal material that seemed to be fused to her skin. The masks even moulded over her eyes, nose and mouth yet she could see clearly through it, breathe easily and when she moved her mouth, the mask moved too. Her reddish- brown hair, which could easily reveal her, had changed to an ethereal white colour. At that moment her shield, a plain gold heraldic- shaped shied, was strapped to her back and her sword lay in its sheath.

Kotoko touched her mask, running her fingers across the smooth metal as she regarded herself. She and for now, she alone, had been given this task to protect Japan, the Earth and maybe the universe. Everyone depended on her.

Her dad...the family.

Her friends and...

...Irie-kun.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think. I was watching Itazura na Kiss videos and then Sailor Moon ones and became inspired. At first I was going to do a 'Kotoko as a Sailor Scout' story but decided to create an original idea instead as I want to show Kotoko forcing herself to become stronger since she is now the sole defender of Earth.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Warrior in Training

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><p>Kotoko almost had difficulty getting out of bed the next morning. It would be easy to stay nestled for a bit longer under the comfy duvets and forget her worries. All it took was a brief recollection of what exactly she had to worry about in the first place, i.e. her responsibility in saving the world, and Kotoko found herself leaping out of bed at a time much earlier than she usually did.<p>

She packed some exercise into her sports bag along with her books for the day. She wouldn't really need the clothes if she transformed but Ripo had warned her to be prepared for anything, in case they could find no place to practice away from prying eyes. If that was the case then Kotoko could just don her normal clothes and do a regular workout.

She wanted to skip breakfast and head out early, determined to get a start on her new duty, but Oba-sama wouldn't hear of it, saying she had skipped dinner last night and needed her food for energy. Kotoko was reluctant but Ripo agreed, his voice echoing in her mind, and so Kotoko put her bag down and sat down at the table.

Naoki watched her as she put her bag down. "We don't have tennis practice today." He pointed out, taking a delicate bite of his toast.

"Awmph thm." Kotoko said through a big mouthful of food. She hadn't realised how ravenous she was. Yuki gave her a disgusted look, which she ignored, and swallowed her food. Kotoko reasoned she could be forgiven for her lack of manners, since she was still in shock over the whole heroine thing. Ripo didn't agree but she ignored him too.

She took a more restrained sip of juice and then gave Irie-kun a strange look. Surely he knew she had memorised the club schedule at the start of semester as a way of staying close to him. "I know we don't have practice," she said with a slight frown.

He raised his eyebrows nonchalantly. "Oh, I wasn't aware that you were in any other sports clubs," he said casually.

"I'm not," Kotoko said bluntly. Now that he mentioned it that sounded like a great idea. Joining a few clubs would be a good way to get fit, especially if she joined a martial arts club. There was only so much that she could do on her own. She started going off into a daydream about becoming a strong fighter and saving lives, forgetting her toast in her hand, halfway to her mouth.

Naoki just watched her in amusement, fully recognising her daydreaming expression, one that she used a lot around him. "What's with the bag then?" When she didn't answer and continued to daydream wildly about something (he swore he could stars in her eyes), he whacked her on the head lightly with the newspaper. She scowled at him and Naoki repeated the question. Oba-sama giggled at their antics, thinking that her son really does care about Kotoko a lot.

Kotoko grumbled, rubbing her head. "What does it matter?" she asked irritably. Usually Kotoko would relish the fact that Irie-kun was talking to her but right now he was being too nosey for her liking.

He regarded her coolly. "Just wondering what you were up to this time and whether it has anything to do with why you were so late home yesterday." She felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance as Yuki watched them both curiously, interested in what Kotoko had to say. Damn Irie-kun!

Luckily Oba-sama spared her from answering Naoki by fussing over Kotoko and telling her not to make them worry like that again. Kotoko agreed heartily between bites of toast. She ate as quickly as possible then explained to Oba-sama that she wasn't sure what time she would be back today but would be sure to phone home if she was going to be late. Then quick as a flash, Kotoko excused herself, grabbed her bag and ran out of the front door without waiting for Irie-kun.

If she thought that would lose him, she was sorely mistaken. Barely five minutes had gone by when his voice came from behind her, making her jump.

"You're hiding something."

Kotoko gave a little shriek before turning round and glaring at him. Naoki stepped forward to walk beside her, hands casually slung into his pockets, smirking a little at her reaction.

"No, I am not!" she said stubbornly and perhaps a little too defensively. Even she wouldn't be convinced by that yet she hoped Irie-kun would believe it.

"Uh huh." His look of disbelief told her otherwise. Doh! "What are you up to really? I hope it isn't anything stupid."

She huffed. "Hey, just because you're a freaking genius and know nearly everything already does not mean you have the _right _to know everything. I'm entitled to keep things to myself." Kotoko turned away, face a bit red. Irie-kun always seemed to know when she was lying about something. _Damn genius_. Whatever, she was determined not to give anything away to him, this was too important!

Naoki seemed to sense that Kotoko wouldn't tell him anything as he didn't question her any further, but he still gave her assessing looks every now and again, as if her were searching for clues. Kotoko got the feeling that it was just a short reprieve for now and he would probably try again later. Once they got to college, Kotoko tried to get away from him quickly (imagine that, Kotoko running _away_ from Irie-kun) whilst trying to make it seem that she had nothing to hide.

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><p>Kotoko didn't talk to Satomi and Jinko much in class and managed to slip away at lunchtime to sit outside by herself and mull over things. She sat outside for a while, wondering if she would have to keep her distance from her friends from now on. The rest of the day was uneventful and went pretty quickly, Kotoko was aware of the hours passing by as the time for her practice crept closer and closer.<p>

After college Kotoko found herself going to the park once again. She was still afraid after what had happened yesterday but she felt compelled to have a look and remind herself what she was up against. When she got to the wooden structure she found that it and the craters had been cordoned off.

She felt a warm, faint buzz in her mind as Ripo let her know that he wanted to talk to her.

"Yes, what is it?" Kotoko asked. She felt the spirit sigh.

"_First things first, we're going to have to practice you speaking to me telepathically,_" Ripo told her in his deep voice. "_If you keep talking aloud like that then people will think you're crazy_." Kotoko felt herself blush a little.

"_Fine then"_. She tried to concentrate on the words in her mind. She felt Ripo buzz happily. "Better," his deep voice said in approval. _That wasn't so hard_, Kotoko thought to him. "_Can you read my mind_?"

"_No. I can only read thoughts that you direct to me. However I can see and hear what you do, except when I am in my spectral form_," Ripo explained.

"Spectral form?" Kotoko couldn't help say it aloud in her confusion. "_What's that_?"

As an answer, the key glowed white. A white mist poured from the key, descending to the ground. The mist seemed to become more solid, forming into an animal shape. Eventually Kotoko found herself looking at a white, softly glowing form of a dog. She recognised its breed as similar to that of a golden retriever, though apart from its piercing blue eyes, the only colour it showed was its ethereal white fur. Kotoko felt a bit apprehensive when she saw that the dog was as big as Chibi! However Chibi, big as he had grown, was a big softie and had helped her get over her fear of dogs. Ripo would have made quite an intimidating figure except his mouth was open in a doggy grin, his great doggy tongue lolling to the side as drool escaped his mouth. He sat, great tail wagging wildly behind him.

"Greetings Mistress Kotoko," Ripo said with a woof. "This is the form of the animal I used to be." His form glowed slightly.

"Aw!" Kotoko said, reaching forward to pet him without thinking. Just as it occurred to her that her hand might just go straight through the spirit, her hand connected and she felt a jolt as she felt his cool, soft fur.

"Woof woof!" Ripo barked happily. Kotoko laughed at him, and then looked around in worry. "What if someone sees you?" Kotoko asked.

Ripo shook his head, and then rubbed it a bit against her hand. "Only you and other magic users can see me," he informed her. He stood up straight, shaking his fur. "Well, let's not waste more time, I should start training you right away! You are the sole defender of this world for now after all."

"Eurgh, don't remind me," Kotoko mumbled.

Before they started with the mental and physical exercises, Ripo explained more about the Jinn and her own powers. Princess Mina had managed to use some of her powers to disrupt the doorway to this world, meaning that for now, the doorway the Jinn used could only lead to Japan, specifically, this region. Kotoko was grateful for this. She wasn't sure what she would do if she had to fight all over the world. Ripo said that she could manipulate her energy, enabling her to teleport but to avoid detection by the Jinn, it would be best to only do so over short distances. Although the doorway had been decreased significantly, the Jin could still chose different areas in this region to appear in and would most likely not appear in the same area twice.

The demons she had faced the other day were referred to as Harvesters, their sole being to harvest living creatures for their body parts and energy. Ripo went on to explain that the highest ranking demons were able to change form and part of their effectiveness in taking over worlds had to do with the fact that they could assimilate into the local population and learn about their prey's weaknesses. These demons were sly and powerful and had their own magical abilities. Kotoko hoped never to meet one of those kinds. Her guide went on to say that the Jinn invaded each world for their resources, and that they harvested living creatures too, for their energy. Kotoko shuddered at the mere thought.

Kotoko then discovered that her magical abilities could extend to more than just shooting energy orbs. As well as being able to communicate telepathically with the Princess, Ripo and other key warriors, with a little instruction from her guide, Kotoko found that she could understand animals!

Ripo had guessed this from the shape of her key handle. She was the Heart, Ripo told her, and her abilities lay in being able to understand living creatures. Kotoko hadn't been too sure of this until she had managed to strike up a conversation with a pigeon. The conversation was a little dull but proved Ripo's point. She was amazed by this and vowed to have a conversation with Chibi at some point. However at this point she wasn't very good at holding the conversations for long, she found it hard to concentrate her energy. Ripo told her that having the power of the Heart meant that animals would naturally be quite trusting of her. It made sense to her as she remembered how much Chibi had liked her even though she was afraid of him.

A useful ability that she also discovered she had was the ability to sense auras of both people and animals. Ripo was delighted by this as he found she could sense things on a larger scale than he could. He told her that she would be able to sense if there were a demon lurking around if she cast her senses and promised to teach her how to do this. He also said that although all magic users had the ability to manipulate energy to create energy force and to teleport, some were found to have their own unique abilities in addition. Kotoko's, it seemed, were the abilities to sense auras and communicate with animals. Both of these skills would need working on though but it made Kotoko feel excited for the first time since learning of her powers.

At first Kotoko thought having these powers was cool until she realised that the key form and her own energy attacks were the only thing she had as a defence against the Jinn. Ripo mentioned that some magic users could manipulate elements, something she was quickly found not able to do. And then he mentioned that since she had she ability to sense auras, she would be very useful in scouting potential enemy territories. Kotoko cringed at the thought of doing such a dangerous thing.

After this talk, Ripo set her some exercises to do. She pushed herself through three hours of hard exercise. Ripo had advised against diving right in, it wouldn't do if she had to face demons but couldn't move because of stiff muscles. He had made her do some stretches first before making her do a hundred sit ups and push ups. Then she practiced in her Key form and she practiced with the sword and shield. Kotoko still found them heavy to hold but she fared a little better than yesterday at least. Ripo had her chasing him, trying to get her to catch him. The very few times she managed, Ripo would become transparent and the sword would go through him.

After that they had practiced aura sensing and Kotoko had gotten to try out teleporting. It made her feel a bit nauseous but she managed to get the hang of it quickly, much to her surprise. Just as she thought that she would never have to take public transport again, Ripo warned her that demons would be able to sense large distance teleports as it required a lot of energy, which they would detect.

The energy orbs Kotoko could summon used different amounts of energy depending how big they were. She found that if she made them hollow, she could lift items in them and levitate them, much to her delight, though the ones she made were relatively small for now. Ripo had her practicing until she could produce different size orbs. It was exhausting work but she worked at it, seeing as it was her only defence against the Jinn.

Kotoko had phoned home to let them know she would not need dinner and to let them know what time she would be back. She was glad to see that they weren't all waiting for her when she got back, although it was only eight O'clock, nowhere near as late as yesterday. She missed Oba-sama's worried look as she went upstairs.

* * *

><p>The next day she woke up aching and could hardly move her arms. She made a mental note to buy some of that heat warming cream from the pharmacists later. At breakfast she was surprised to see Oba-sama had already put a plate of food down in her place, full with a lot more food than Kotoko usually had. A small pile was an inaccurate way to describe the amount of food; it was more of a small mountain.<p>

"Er, Oba-sama..." Kotoko began before she was swiftly cut off.

"Now, now Kotoko, don't be unreasonable," Oba-sama said swiftly. "You skipped dinner again yesterday and a young girl such as yourself needs plenty of food. She then stood and watched as Kotoko made herself eat the food. Irie-kun and Yuki watched with amusement as Kotoko struggled to finish it all. It was a very stuffed Kotoko that left for college that morning.

Kotoko wasn't sure how to act around Jinko and Satomi. She wondered if there was some sort of guide that superheroes followed. All Kotoko knew was that her new role was dangerous and it would be dangerous for her friends to get involved. She mentally asked Ripo what she should do and he told her that if she altered her behaviour so suddenly her friends would become suspicious and might come after her. He advised that she just act normally but she had to be aware that she would not be able to spend as much time with them now. Following that advice, she joined them for lunch this time and didn't act as aloof as yesterday. Having such a full breakfast, Kotoko just sat there with juice instead, happily talking to her two best friends.

At tennis practice Kotoko surprised Sudou-sempai by running laps as soon as she got to the courts, followed by sit- ups and push- ups, all without him telling her to do so. She still ached from the workout yesterday but every time she felt like giving up, Kotoko would just remind herself why she was doing this.

When she had finished her warm up, Kotoko practiced by herself, throwing balls against a wall and trying to hit them with her racket as they bounced back. Her throws and swings were harsh and she almost felt as maniacal as Sudou-sempai sometimes became. She missed a lot at first and got hit in the face a fair few times but eventually she managed to keep up a rally between her racket and the wall, much to her surprise and the surprise of everyone else. Ripo barked in her head, encouraging her in her efforts. Kotoko supposed that knowing during her fights she'd be playing with energy orbs rather than tennis balls did a lot to improve her aim.

Her breathing became harsh as she concentrated on keeping up the rally, getting really into her workout.

"What are you doing?" a familiar voice asked suddenly, making her jump.

At once Kotoko lost her concentration and didn't lift her racket in time to hit the ball. Just as she braced herself to get hit in the face again, Naoki held his hand out and deftly caught the ball in his hands. Some of the club members watching them still started squealing about how great he was.

"Irie-kun!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing?"

He smirked. "I asked first."

Kotoko scowled at him again. "Practicing," she said simply.

"Against the wall?" Naoki questioned.

She shrugged. "The wall is very helpful and it's nice to me, because it can't talk and say mean things. All it does is hit me in the face if I don't hit the balls in time," Kotoko explained.

Naoki snorted. "Weird and delusional," he commented. She glared at him and opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when he started talking again. "Come on then, I'll help you practice."

"I," Kotoko began, about to yell at him when his words registered. "Eh, what was that?"

Naoki simply smirked. "I'll help you practice. I think the poor wall has had enough."

Kotoko turned and laughed sheepishly that the wall had a few shallow dents in it courtesy of her. "Oops," she said, a little guilty. "I hope nobody notices..." Naoki sighed and dragged her away from the wall.

She couldn't help the stupid grin that spread on her face as Irie-kun helped her, giving her pointers. Reiko's scowling face made it all the sweeter. They didn't work closely like she sometimes (often) daydreamed about, but Irie-kun would give her pointers in improving her serve and swing. To both their surprise, Kotoko managed to keep up a rally between them, though it didn't last long. Still, she managed to hit the ball back, and to Irie-kun of all people! Irie-kun gave her a rare, genuine smile when they finished and told her she had gotten better. Kotoko was on cloud nine for the rest of practice.

Naoki walked with Reiko to the station as he usually did. It was only when he got to the station that he realised that once again, Kotoko was nowhere to be found. He knew she had been following him, so where did she go now? Naoki checked his phone and found he had a message from her, saying she would be home late again. He was half tempted to go search for her and find out what she was doing but then Reiko was calling him. He gave an internal sigh. Well, he had no reason to worry...yet. Naoki would just go home for now and question Kotoko later.

* * *

><p>When practice was over, Kotoko had wanted nothing more than to follow Irie-kun home and stay close to him. Ripo had other ideas however and so a reluctant Kotoko didn't go home after practice. She had started walking behind Irie-kun and Reiko before slipping away to find somewhere private. Venturing into the park, Kotoko cast her senses like Ripo had taught her too and detected that there were no people nearby. A quick glance at the dull, darkening sky told her why. She had been practising in her Key form for less than an hour when Ripo suddenly stilled, his spectral fur standing up on end as he lifted his head high in alertness. A low growl emitted from him.<p>

"What is it Ripo?" Kotoko asked in alarm.

"Jinn," Ripo growled. "Only low ranks but there are three of them this time." Kotoko felt her stomach sink in dread. She had hoped that she would have more time to prepare before facing the demons again. "This time they are attacking civilians."

"What!" Kotoko cried. "Where! We have to get there at once!"

Ripo's form disappeared as he melded back into the key. "_Follow my directions_," the dog spirit commanded.

Kotoko transformed the key disappearing to form into the armour. Kotoko listened to Ripo's description of the area the attack was occurring and teleported as near as she could get. She ran the rest of the way, both her and Ripo feeling a dark aura increasing as they got nearer and nearer the source. The sound of sirens pierced the air. There were gunshots, and people screaming in panic.

Not wanting people to notice her yet, Kotoko teleported onto a building where she could analyse the situation and work out a plan. _Hee_, and people called her stupid. She cautiously looked over the side onto the usually busy main road below.

She recognised this road; it was a main road leading to the central shopping district. Buildings lined both sides of the road and there were no side streets branching off from the main road for quite a while. Good, less ways for the demons to move down. But as she took in the scene, Kotoko realised she wouldn't have to do any chasing.

At once she could see that the three Harvesters had dropped from the doorway smack down onto the busy road, the three enormous craters in the asphalt a testament to this. Most people had fled but some stood watching in the distance behind police barricades at either end of the road. She could see faces peering out from building windows watching the scene below, too cautious to come outside. The demons stood in the middle of the road between the police barricades, advancing on a group of unfortunate people who had not been able to escape on time. The police kept shooting at the demons but the bullets were having no effect they just bounced off the demon hide uselessly.

Kotoko saw bodies lying scattered about, most of them uniformed officers, but a quick scan with her sense told her they were alive, barely. She frowned. She had to move them somehow; otherwise they might get hurt when she went after the Harvesters. But what could she do? If she tried picking each one up, surely the demons would see her? Kotoko quickly did a count. Nineteen bodies. She chewed her lips. What should she do? Suddenly she came up with an idea.

She summoned her energy and wrapped each of the fallen people in an easy to form hollow orb, lifting her arms to push them as close to the police barricades as she could get them. The demons didn't even detect this use of her powers, well, not yet at least. Using as much strength as she could muster, Kotoko moved her arms and the orbs moved at the same time, lifting the victims into the air. There were several cries of surprise and the police stopped shooting momentarily.

The Harvesters spun round in time to watch their fallen prey being deposited down by the police barricades. Kotoko let her arms fall limp to her sides, letting a relieved sigh. Well, that was one obstacle out the way. She jumped to attention again when the demons let out an outraged howl that made the crowd scream in terror.

An unfortunate crowd of people had been unable to escape to the police barricades and had been under advance from the demons until just now. One of them, a middle- aged man, decided to use this momentary distraction and make a run for it. One of the Harvesters snapped its head round and bounded ruthlessly after its escaping prey. One reached forward with its ghastly claws, picking a man up with a crushing bruise round his neck. The man started choking in pain and fear as the others screamed. Kotoko grew more alarmed as she saw a white mist rise from the man and into the demon. The other two demons focused their attention on their remaining victims.

"_Quick, act now, before the demons take their energy_!" Ripo warned.

Kotoko summoned an energy orb and leapt from the building, throwing it at the demon holding the struggling man. It was a bit weak but it would do. The energy ball hit her target and she teleported before she could hit the ground, reappearing a little unsteadily on her feet in between the demons and the people. The demon howled, staggering and dropping his victim who scrambled back quickly, helped to his feet by the other people. The other two Harvesters swung their heads towards her with a sick crack.

"Run!" Kotoko ordered the remaining people, energy orb forming in one hand as she drew her sword. The demons snarled and advanced towards her as one. The people wasted no time in following her demands, rushing to safety behind the barricades.

Kotoko threw an energy orb after them without thinking and it lifted, twisting upwards and outwards to form a stretched screen of energy, shielding the people from further harm. Her actions were automatic and unconscious, she had not done that before but she somehow knew what to do, her magic flowed to her naturally. The shield wouldn't hold long, since she was still her powers were relatively new and untested so she would have to end this quick.

The Harvesters saw her throw the orb and took the chance to attack before she had the opportunity to form another one. Kotoko teleported as they leapt as one towards her. She appeared behind them as they landed on the spot she had previously occupied. Quickly she sprung forward and stabbed one, the magic of the key flowing through the sword and bursting into the demon. It shrieked, causing the other two to turn around in time to witness its demise. She threw another energy orb onto the other police barricade, shielding the people there too.

Kotoko again formed an orb as the demons leapt at her again. She threw it and it made contact with one. Unfortunately the other demon was untouched and she found herself staggering backwards as it swiped its claws at her. The claws didn't pierce her armour but she found herself falling back with a thud. This time though, she managed to keep a hold of her sword. As the Harvester advanced towards her, Kotoko could make out the form of the other one behind it, getting to its feet. She had to act fast.

Another energy orbed formed at the tip of her fingertips before she had even finished thinking of it. Quickly Kotoko threw it into the demon's eyes, blinding it. It howled in outrage and she swung her sword down on its neck just as a dark shape flew over her and landed with a heavy thud behind her. She didn't wait and watch for the vanquished demon to disappear before she swung round, pulling her shield out in time to block the vicious claws raining down on her.

The Harvester howled in outrage as Kotoko blocked it and shoved it forwards. It swung its tail towards her and she swung her sword in retaliation. Her sword chopped through the tail and it fell to the ground, twitching and flopping before it burst into smoke. The demon's eyes glowed bright red in malice and outrage and it was once gain leaping at her, coming again and again at her. Kotoko brought her shield up to block it repeatedly, trying to get a swing at it with her sword.

"_Why didn't it disappear_", she asked Ripo frantically. "_I cut it_!"

"_You must either sever its head or stab it through the heart_," Ripo told her. "_It's the only way to kill them_."

Kotoko wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. She was still tired from all the exercise she had done earlier and yesterday. She didn't dare drop her shield to make another energy orb. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the shields flickering as her powers waned. She wasn't going to last much longer. A bird flew overhead and she got a sudden, if insane, idea.

"_Hey bird_!" she called out mentally whilst blocking the demon's blows. The mental projection was a little weak but she could tell the bird heard it as it stopped in its flight, hovering. Bleh, another pigeon.

"_Can you fly in front of this creature and distract it for a moment_?" Kotoko asked. "_Please_."

"_I don't likes it_," the pigeon humphed. "_It has a bad feeling_."

"_Please_?" Kotoko begged. "_You just have to fly in front of it for a moment_. _That's all_." The bird considered and she was relieved when it made its mind up and dove towards her. The bird darted in between her and the Harvester before flying off. The demon was momentarily startled by the blurring shape and it was all Kotoko needed. She thrust her sword forward, piercing the demon's torso.

Kotoko breathed harshly as she took in the now demon free area, barely aware of the excited cheering from the crowd. She felt a _WHOOSH _as the shields fell and the energy flowed back to her. Dimly she heard the police talking through a megaphone but she couldn't comprehend the words.

She became aware of the sound footsteps behind her and was at once alert again. Kotoko swung around quickly, thinking that she had been careless and missed a demon. Instead she found herself staring into a camera held by a burly man, a TV reporter hovering beside him, barely containing his excitement. How they had gotten pass the barricade she did not know. She took a step back, not knowing what to do.

"Please, just a few words," the reporter begged, holding his microphone out to her. "Who are you? And _what _were those things?"

Kotoko looked straight at the camera and spoke without thinking.

"I am Heart, A Warrior of the Key. I was chosen to protect Japan, and the rest of the Earth if need be, from these demons. These demons have come from another world and their sole aim is to destroy this world. They are called the Jinn, and cannot be slain by normal weapons." The reporter and camera man both stared at her in awe and horror at her words.

She looked into the camera intently, bringing a hand to her heart and bowing her head slightly. "I vow to protect the people to the best of my abilities."

In the distance Kotoko could hear the crowd cheering. The reporter gaped at her and looked as if he wanted to ask more questions but Ripo gave her a mental nudge and told her to teleport away. Seeing some police officers come towards her with grim expressions on their faces, Kotoko followed his request.

* * *

><p>Kotoko felt disorientated after the teleport, appearing in a thankfully empty alleyway. She quickly changed back to her normal form and ran the rest of the way home. When she eventually got into the house, she found everyone gathered around the TV. Kotoko felt herself jolt as she realised that they were watching TV coverage of the attack. She stood in the background, steadily regaining her breath as she drank in the report.<p>

"This Heart figure managed to prevent any deaths and further casualties," the TV news anchor reported. "As you can see, this self proclaimed Warrior of the Key managed to kill the demons which were completely unaffected by the bullets fired by officers arriving at the scene. Officials have issued a statement thanking Heart for her actions and would like to speak to her further about these demons and her own powers."

Yuki snorted. "Yeah sure, talk. They'd probably just interrogate her."

"What!" Kotoko screeched, making some of them jump as they hadn't heard her come in. "Why would they do that? Didn't she save all those people?"

Naoki answered her question just as Yuki looked as though her were going to mock her lack of intelligence.

"The government obviously don't like that they are defenceless against these Jinn creatures," he stated, looking at her. "They would want to find a way to utilise the girl's power and use it themselves. At the moment they are dependent on this Heart, she is the only thing that can fight against these demons."

Kotoko leaned on the back of a sofa, bringing her head down near her dad's. "Jeez, that's horrible." It was. Like she didn't have enough to deal with as it was.

Naoki was looking at her still. "Where did you go after practice? You usually come straight home." They all turned to look at her. She didn't really notice their looks as she was still taking in the news coverage, slightly in awe as she took in everything that she had done. Kotoko particularly liked the scene the camera had captured of her leaping off the building before teleporting.

"Huh, what? Oh I was meeting someone," Kotoko said vaguely.

"Oh, what's this?" Oba-sama said curiously. "One of your friends?"

She nodded in vague agreement. "Yup. He's helping me to study." In a way Ripo was, just not with her academic studies. Kotoko didn't see Oba-sama and Naoki stiffen at her words, still engrossed with the TV as she was.

Kotoko felt happiness bubble up inside her, full of amazement and pride that she had managed to accomplish all that on her own. Ripo barked happily in her head, agreeing with her. She straightened up, stretching with a smile on her face.

"Well, I'm going to head up to my room. Let me know if you want help with dinner Oba-sama." They all watched as Kotoko all but skipped up the stairs, wondering at her cheerful demeanour. Oba-sama was visibly worried at the mention of this male friend who seemed to make Kotoko very happy. Although he didn't show it, Naoki was worried too and he vowed to pay closer attention to Kotoko the next day.

* * *

><p>The next day at college, the talk all over campus seemed to be about the Jinn demons and the mysterious Heart, Warrior of the Key that had saved the civilians yesterday. It made Kotoko feel funny hearing about something she had done. She imagined what everyone would think if they knew it was her who had saved those people yesterday.<p>

The cafeteria was buzzing with conversation about the fight yesterday. Yet, somehow, Kin-chan's voice managed to cut across the din and reach Kotoko, much to her embarrassment.

"Don't worry Kotoko, I'll protect you!" Kinnosuke exclaimed loudly, making Kotoko cringe. "You don't have to worry about these things hurting you."

_Sure thing Kin-chan, whatever you say_, Kotoko though dryly. If he knew that it had been her yesterday, he would probably have a heart attack. Out loud she said, "Why would these things ever want to attack me? What good would I be to them?" she pointed out, making Kin-chan pause in his declarations.

"I agree, why would they want you?" Kotoko sighed internally as she heard that familiar voice. Part of her felt happy to hear it, another part of her told her that the speaker only brought trouble.

"Irie-kun," Kotoko said a bit more dully than usual. Last night both he and Oba-sama had been ruthless in trying to question about her about her new male friend, not believing her when she said he wasn't anyone special. It seemed that her Irie-kun thought she was seeing someone else and that was why she was coming home late. She tried not to sob mentally at the unfairness of it all. Here she was saving people and Irie-kun thought she was dating someone else when her heart belonged to him. _NOOOOOO!_

_Thwack_. She scowled at Irie-kun, who had hit her with a book. "What was that for?" Kotoko scowled.

He glared at her. "You were daydreaming again. Someone had to stop you, you're holding up the queue."

She looked round to see that indeed this was true and that the people behind her were glaring and muttering darkly towards her. _Heh, ooops_.

"So where's this male friend of yours?" Naoki asked casually. She wondered why nobody seemed to mind he had just butted into the queue.

"WHAT?" bellowed Kin-chan. Kotoko felt herself retreat inwards all that little bit more as more people stared at them. "MALE FRIEND? WHAT MALE FRIEND?" She sighed. What had she said to herself the other day about eating outside? She really should follow her own advice.

Much to her chagrin, Irie-kun proceeded to tell a steamed Kin-chan and curious Jinko and Satomi about this mystery guy who had caused Kotoko to come home late the past few days. Kin-chan wailed and demanded to know who this guy was whilst her friends badgered her for details, wanting to know if this guy was her boyfriend. Seeing Irie-kun smirk at her for the trouble he had caused was the last straw and Kotoko uncharacteristically yelled at them to mind their own business before storming out.

She didn't know what to do. No doubt they would be following her from now on and she wouldn't even be able to teleport away if they were watching. And what would she do about this mystery guy they were expecting?

Kotoko stepped outside into the fresh air, sighing. With her eyes closed momentarily, she didn't notice the person in front of her until she collided with them.

"Oomph," Kotoko said, her hands coming up reflexively, only to feel the person's well defined muscles beneath their shirt. With a blush, Kotoko looked to see who she had walked into and to apologise.

"Ah, I'm sorry..." Kotoko began, faltering as she saw how handsome the guy was and how intently he looked at her.

The guy placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her on her feet. He was handsome, with sparkling, bright expressive hazel eyes and tousled brown hair.

"Ah, Miss Kotoko Aihara, I'm Takendo Nakagawa, a freshman at the School of Law," he said with an open, honest and friendly smile.

She opened her mouth to ask how he knew her but he continued.

"Please, will you go out with me?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I've made Ayako Reiko's cousin instead of her sister so that she and Takendo can be first years along with Kotoko, Reiko and Irie.

Chapter Three

Alibi

"ABSOLUTELY NO WAY!"

...Well, at least that's what Kotoko's normal, reflexive reply would be, however recent events caused her brain to work like it never had before. The facts were clear in her mind:

1) She now had the sole responsibility of saving the world from an army of vicious demons and had lied to the Iries' about her disappearances and would probably have to do so many more times in the future.

2) Despite Irie-kun being rumoured to move out of the Irie home, he was suddenly becoming increasingly nosy about what she did.

3) Said nosiness led him to reveal to her friends that she had been meeting with a boy (or so he thought).

4) And that said misconception would now mean that her friends, and the ever relentless Kin-chan, would not stop until they found out who this so- called boy was and had found out everything about him.

Could this boy solve her problems? Still, she liked Irie-kun...

This Takendo guy mistook her quiet reflection as hesitation. He smiled at her, a kind, honest smile and Kotoko felt guilty about even thinking of agreeing to go out with him just to keep her friends off her back. She knew immediately that she couldn't use him like that.

"I already know about your feelings for Irie-san," Takendo informed her quickly. "You two are really quite famous over campus!"

"Eh?" She went a little red with embarrassment. She could only imagine how she was famous and knew it wasn't in a good way. She pushed that thought aside; Kotoko had never been one to care about popularity anyway. Kotoko studied this guy intently. "But then, you must know that I have quite strong feelings for him?" Kotoko asked falteringly.

He gave a nervous little laugh and ran a hand through his glorious brown hair. There was a faint pink tinge dusting his cheeks and Kotoko felt a jolt as she realised that she was making him feel like this. Takendo looked at her, looking a little shy. "Yeah, I know about that but I thought, since he has yet to return your feelings, and since you deserve a chance to be happy, maybe you would give me a chance to make you happy?"

Kotoko blushed again, more than a little bit touched and flattered at his confession and the fact he had delivered it knowing full well that she had been in love with the same guy for years. And, she was absolutely floored. Nobody had ever done such a thing for her before (except Kin-chan but he didn't really count as he didn't ask her out so much as demand it before sprouting creepy nonsense such as what their wedding would be like and how many kids they would have).

This was a completely new experience for her, for such a nice guy to want _her_. The rejection and constant put downs from Irie-kun had made her believe that such a thing was not possible but here this guy was asking her out!

"I don't hear you saying no..." Takendo pressed tentatively, looking at her hopefully.

Kotoko gave a nervous laugh. "I'm not sure what to say," she admitted. "Aside from my feelings for Irie-kun, saying yes feels wrong."

He smile faltered slightly. "Ah...I see..."

Kotoko saw that he had misunderstood her. "Nothing concerning you, really!" she added hastily, not wanting to hurt this nice guy's feelings. "It's just a situation came up with my friends today and if I said yes to you, you would get caught up in it."

Takendo looked at her curiously. "What sort of situation? Maybe I can help you out." They walked away from the building and found a nice spot to sit in.

"Well, it's like this..." Kotoko explained that yes, she did like Irie-kun a lot but had realised that he seemed interested in a much more suitable girl (that damned Matsumoto). She told him that she had decided that she wanted to improve herself, but this time not for Irie-kun, but for the benefit of herself (and the rest of the world).

Kotoko told him that she wanted to become good at tennis and just become fit and strong in general, just to push herself and see how far she could go. Her dad and pseudo family had noticed her disappearing a few times and she had made an excuse about studying with a guy friend because she hadn't wanted Irie-kun to find out, seeing as he always seemed to appear and hinder her efforts and mock her. She admitted that the part about studying with a guy friend was said flippantly and she hadn't realised what a big deal everyone else would make of it.

She then explained that Irie-kun had hinted to her friends that Kotoko had a boyfriend and that they would be practically stalking her for weeks, and if Kotoko did accept Takendo, him as well. Kotoko told him accepting him, although she had feelings for Irie-kun, would just feel like she was using him and she didn't want to do that to him.

Kotoko was surprised at the warm smile he gave her.

"Indeed, Kotoko truly is a kind person," Takendo said. "And honest too. Anyone else in the same situation would just say yes to solve their problems."

Kotoko squirmed slightly. She had considered doing just that before her conscience kicked in.

Takendo shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and looked at her thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I tell you what, I will help you out," he declared. "I'll pretend to be your study partner."

Kotoko exclaimed in surprise and began to protest but he hushed her with a quirky grin. "I would like to be Miss Aihara's friend, even if you don't want to date me. But you never know, spending time with me, you might reconsider going out with me."

She blushed again. Well, she couldn't help it; Kotoko had never had such a handsome guy ask her out before. Her love confessions could be counted on one hand, Kin- chan and, er...well, just Kin-chan...and now Takendo.

Kotoko contemplated him. He was nothing like Irie-kun, who rejected her yet she still pursued him after years of liking him. Nor was he like Kin-chan, who constantly tried to force his affections on her. She wondered wistfully what it would be like to be cherished by such a guy as Takendo.

Years of Irie-kun devotion had brought her nothing until this past year; however he still saw her as a nuisance. Yet here was Takendo, who was willing to stick by and just be a friend to her even though he wanted more. This guy, who before now was a stranger to her, was willing to act as an alibi for her, willing to give up his time for her despite the fact he did not know her well at all. Kotoko felt that she was being selfish and that she should give him something in return.

"You know, maybe going on a date wouldn't be so bad after all," she pondered aloud. Takendo looked at her in surprise and delight.

"Really?" he asked, his handsome face brightening. "Oh, but don't feel that you're obliged to me because I'm helping you. I really don't mind just being friends," Takendo added hastily. She felt her heart warm at this guy. Really, she what had she done to attract the attentions of such a nice guy? Kotoko felt moved by him and if only her feelings for Irie-kun weren't in the way, she would have accepted him without hesitation.

"Just as friends," Kotoko said quickly. "That way we can get to know each other better. We don't really know each other, do we? Relationships shouldn't be rushed." Takendo agreed to this heartily, happy to have the chance to hang out with her.

They talked for a bit and Takendo was adamant that he would not consider them a proper couple unless she wanted them to be. Kotoko agreed, this way Takendo got what he wanted, a chance at dating her/ hanging out with her, and Kotoko got a great new friend, a willing alibi and, with time, maybe a real chance at love. She tried to ignore the aching in her heart at the thought of replacing Irie-kun.

There was an exchange of numbers and they agreed to have their first date whenever they could find time. Truthfully she wanted to train as much as possible in her spare time. Takendo told her again it was fine to use him as an alibi whenever she needed it and they could even meet for real study sessions if she suddenly felt the need to improve her academic skills too.

Kotoko thought she might even take him up on that offer, she wasn't exactly the smartest person around and as it turned out from their conversation, Takendo had graduated top of his class from high school, Class A to be exact. Her mind boggled at the difference in demeanour between Takendo and Irie-kun.

She watched him go, a smile on her face. Kotoko felt uncertain too. She had liked Irie-kun for so long that it felt weird to even consider another guy. She told herself that they weren't really dating; they were just hanging out and getting to know each other.

Kotoko thought about how she had liked Irie-kun for years and although they were close, a year of living with him and they still couldn't be considered more than sort- of friends. True, he had kissed her and Kotoko had waited for something to happen since yet nothing had.

"I'm always waiting for Irie-kun," Kotoko said softly. "Maybe I'm waiting for something that will never come."

She remembered what Princess Minako had said to her just a few days ago when she had cried out for Irie-kun to save her. "_Irie-kun, whoever that is, cannot save you. Only you can save you_."

And that had been true; Kotoko had managed to save herself. She had saved herself without any help from Irie-kun; she had saved all those people without his help or anyone else's.

She was becoming startlingly aware of just how much she relied on him, she had to stop depending on him for, well, everything. How many times had she relied on him for help? How many of her actions had been done in the hope of claiming his praise and affections? How much of her thoughts were consumed by that boy?

Kotoko dreaded to think whether there would come a time when a civilian would get hurt because she was too pre-occupied with thoughts of Irie-kun to notice any danger.

Kotoko squared her shoulders. She needed to learn to do things on her own now. Her actions were for the benefit of the world now, not for Irie-kun. She had spent too much time agonising over him but now she couldn't afford such a distraction.

She wondered then if it was ok for her to be 'dating' Takendo, was she entitled to even go on dates with such responsibilities as hers?

Kotoko hadn't realised she had said this mentally until Ripo replied, telling her that this Takendo guy would be a great help. Not only would he be her alibi but he offered the chance for her to get over the huge distraction to her life that was Irie-kun. And since she didn't have strong feelings for Takendo, he was unlikely to be such a distraction to her.

Kotoko felt grateful for her guide's words although a large part of her was sad that she was willingly letting go of her crush, and if it were for anything less than in aid of saving the world, Kotoko might have had problems admitting it was for the best. As well as giving up on Irie-kun to improve her mental clarity, there was also the fact that Irie-kun was paying closer attention to her now for the wrong reasons. She sighed. If only he were interested because he secretly had romantic feelings for her.

Ha. Like that would ever happen.

This way Irie-kun would soon find out that she had a (sort- of) boyfriend and would (hopefully) stop asking her what she was up to. He would become uninterested and stop badgering her and maybe go out with Reiko Matsumoto after all. Then he would move out, putting even more distance between them and she would hardly ever see him but it wouldn't matter though because not seeing him meant that she could concentrate better on her mission...

She sighed, deciding to distract herself fast from these depressing thoughts.

"Say_, Ripo, how does this sensing thing work? Can you see only what I'm seeing_?" Kotoko asked mentally.

Ripo gave a mental _WOOF_. "_No, I can see much more. I'm not really __**in**__ your head, you know, that's just my voice_," her dog spirit said with a canine laugh. "_I can look any direction I please regardless at where you're looking at. In regards to that, did you realise that your friends have been spying on you these since halfway through your conversation with Takendo_?"

He gave a mental nudge to look up towards the building she had left from and sure enough, there were Jinko and Satomi, squatting behind a trash can. Seeing that they had been caught, and that Takendo was long gone, they made a beeline towards her. Kotoko braced herself for their interrogation and refrained from sighing, only glad that Kin-chan was not there too.

Ripo, watching this and much more, neglected to mention the other person who had been watching her.

* * *

><p>Naoki hadn't actually expected there to be another guy. He had thought (hoped) that it was just another ploy to get him jealous. He hadn't believed her flimsy excuses for a moment.<p>

Studying?

Yeah right. Since the moment they had met, whenever Kotoko had something she needed help with, she would gain his assistance, whether he was willing to give it or not.

As he stood hidden from his vantage point, watching as tender smiles and blushes were exchanged, Naoki had to concede that he had been wrong.

How could she claim to love him yet act so carefree with this guy?

Part of him wanted to find a reason to storm over there and find a reason to scare that guy away. Another part of him wanted to walk away like he didn't care. Except he couldn't do that because he did care. _A lot_. Naoki felt his chest burn with an unfamiliar feeling which his mind told him was the emotion known as jealousy. Heh, pathetic. When had he started to care so much about that airhead anyway?

Yet Naoki couldn't deny that the sight of Kotoko talking to that guy bothered him a lot. Hell, the thought of her close to any guy except him made him mad (except Kinnosuke, but then nothing less than the end of the world would make Kotoko even consider that idiot).

Yes it was selfish and hypocritical of him considering how aloof he acted towards her but then again nobody had ever made him feel like she did. It was a new experience for him that he didn't even know _how_he was suppose to act.

He wanted to turn around and storm away, casting the images of her away from his mind. But he was a masochist so instead he stayed to watch Kotoko and this guy, who Naoki could admit might actually pose the risk of stealing Kotoko's feelings.

Naoki was _very_glad he stayed to spy a little longer.

His eyes narrowed as they exchanged numbers. Surely if they had met up for 'study sessions' a few times already, they would already have each other's numbers? With this intriguing thought, Naoki managed to squash down his jealous feelings and analyse the situation with a clearer head. Watching the two interact, Naoki realised that they didn't seem to know each other well at all. This might even be the first time the two had met.

Naoki didn't walk away until after Takendo had left. He had some investigating to do. It looked like Kotoko was hiding things after all.

* * *

><p>"Is that your <em>study <em>tutor?" Jinko asked slyly.

"What's his name?" Satomi demanded.

"He's so good looking!" Jinko squealed.

"How old is he?" Satomi questioned.

"What does he study?"

"Where did you two meet?"

"Have you kissed yet?" Jinko pried.

"WHAT?" Kotoko spluttered. "Of course not! He only just asked me out!"

Satomi and Jinko stared at her slack jawed and Kotoko realised that they had only been teasing her.

"You mean...you two actually _are _going out?" Satomi stuttered in shock.

Kotoko blushed. "Takendo's been helping me study. He asked me just now and I decided it wouldn't hurt giving him a chance since he's a really nice guy. Besides, Takendo and I aren't dating; we're just getting to know one another better first." She looked away slightly. She hated lying to her friends. She had no idea how to answer the other questions. She didn't know what Takendo studied let alone how old he was. Kotoko made a mental note to text him once she had escaped this interrogation from her friends.

Satomi and Jinko exchanged glances wordlessly. "But, what about Irie?" Satomi probed.

"Yeah, you're just giving him up that easily? How long have you known this Takendo guy anyway?" Jinko demanded.

Kotoko rubbed her neck nervously. "Eh, not that long really..." she said vaguely.

"Irie..." Satomi probed again. Kotoko sighed at them.

"Aren't you always telling me to give him up anyway? Why the sudden concern for him?" Kotoko questioned. She really didn't think they would be so persistent.

The two girls looked at each other, realising that they were being quite hypocritical.

"Well, you always seemed so determined about him," Jinko said, a little unsure now.

Kotoko flashed a bright smile. "Yeah, but I've realised that you two are right. I need to move on. I spend too much time thinking about Irie-kun and it isn't healthy."

They were still a bit uncertain but then Satomi smiled. "Glad you finally see that. I've always said you can do better! Now, tell us more about this Takendo guy..."

* * *

><p>News spread fast. Kotoko blamed Satomi and Jinko, terrible gossips that they were. At least they hadn't made a banner this time.<p>

Sudou-sempai had called for an extra tennis practice today since there was a tournament coming up in less than a month. By the time Kotoko had donned her tennis whites, everyone in the club seemed to know about her new 'relationship'. She was immediately descended upon by the harpy Reiko, and Ayako Matsumoto, Reiko's equally beautiful but no- less annoying cousin, who was also a freshman and who shared her cousin's enthusiasm for Irie-kun. The two didn't stop bugging her all through practice.

Whilst Reiko took to the "So you've finally realised that you weren't good enough for Irie-kun?" choice of insult, Ayako took a different stance. Ayako didn't usually bother Kotoko, Kotoko suspected it was because her pursuit of Irie-kun was more to annoy her cousin rather than based on her own feelings.

Instead, Ayako seemed more concerned about how Kotoko had caught Takendo's interest. It turned out that the two had been in the same class since middle school and now shared the same law classes together. Kotoko gratefully stored away these new grains of information about her so- called 'boyfriend'.

"I just don't get what he sees in you," Ayako said nonchalantly as she circled Kotoko, eyeing the girl like a hawk. Reiko was long gone, having skipped over to Irie-kun's side, who had once again chosen to show up to practice.

"There have been lots of smarter, prettier girls who've asked him out but he always rejects them," Ayako remarked, stopping to put a thoughtful finger to her chin in contemplation. "He must be some sort of freak!" she deduced. Kotoko bristled in annoyance.

"Hey!" Kotoko said, about to retort but then she noticed Irie-kun walking over to her, smirking as he wiped his face with a towel.

"Talking about your _study partner_again?" He emphasised those two words carefully making Kotoko shift uncomfortably, wondering what he knew.

Reiko butted in before Kotoko could reply. "That's right! Can you believe such a guy as Takendo Nakagawa is interested in Kotoko? He even dared to ask her out even though knew that she liked you!" Reiko said excitedly.

Naoki narrowed his eyes slightly. So there _was_more than studying involved. And now he knew this guy's name, he could get on and investigate him. It seemed as though Ayako knew him too. Perfect. Nonchalantly he said, "That's right, even if someone else discards her, there will someone else to pick her up. It helps save the environment too. What a nice guy."

Kotoko bristled at the double insult. She decided to ignore the slight against her and said instead, "How could you say that? He isn't like that!"

"He is either a guy with bad tastes in girls or a freak," Naoki replied, making Reiko giggle. Ayako frowned slightly.

Kotoko blinked back tears. She would not cry because she was supposed to forget Irie-kun, _remember_? There were much more important things to care about now. As always, that thought alone calmed her. She took a deep breath, looking at her _ex-_crush straight in the eye.

"Even if he is not as smart as you, Takendo is still a clever person, and he is very cute, has nice characteristics and is very gentle with girls." She said it in an uncharacteristically calm, matter- of fact way that left Naoki and Reiko staring at her in surprise.

""Ah, I'm so happy that I made such a good impression on you!" the sudden, chirpy voice made them all break out of their reverie. They turned as one to see Takendo standing on the other side of the tennis court cage, hands gripping the metal fencing as he peered through the holes at them.

"Takendo!" Kotoko exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?" She didn't notice several of her audience bristle slightly at the casual use of his first name, particularly a certain male who she always addressed by his surname.

He smiled at her cheerfully. "Eh, you look so cute in your tennis uniform Kotoko!" Takendo exclaimed, making Kotoko blush again, again she didn't notice certain people bristle. He subtly flashed his phone at her and Kotoko at once understood that he had gotten her text.

Takendo looked towards Naoki. "Irie, if that's how you feel, then you won't mind if Kotoko goes out with me, right?"

Naoki shrugged. "Mind or don't mind...it doesn't concern me at all, she doesn't belong to me."

It took all of Kotoko's willpower not to cry at his casual dismissal. Instead she looked to Takendo, who smiled warmly at her, his eyes communicating that he understood how she was feeling.

"Yeah that's right," Kotoko said in an unwavering voice that made Naoki turn to look at her. "It doesn't concern him at all." _Didn't I say that I would get over you once I started college?_

"Hey Kotoko," he said with a smile. "Let's go out this Sunday!" She blinked in surprise and his smile grew wider. "It'll be fun, promise." His warm expression calmed her and Kotoko felt she could trust him, even though she had only met him today.

She nodded her assent, feeling the tears that threatened to spill receding.

"Finished practice?" Takendo asked.

"Yes," Kotoko stuttered out. He beckoned her to come over to him.

"Let's go! We can take a walk somewhere!" Takendo said enthusiastically.

She nodded again and made a dash to grab her stuff, blatantly ignoring Irie-kun and his groupies. _Remember, you're doing this so he stops snooping around. It isn't safe for him to know  
>about your powers<em>, she chanted to herself. _Besides Matsumoto's right, I'm not good enough for him anyway_.

They made their way through campus out onto the bustling streets. "I'm sorry!" Takendo blurted out. "I didn't mean to ask you on a date in such a way! I just couldn't stand the way he was talking to you!"

Kotoko smiled softly. "It's alright. He's always been like that. To me, anyway."

Takendo gave her a sideways look. "And you still like him?" he asked sceptically.

She made a small noise, a cross between a cough and a chuckle. "Yeah, crazy, isn't it? The more I got to know him, the more I realised he was nothing I had imagined him to be. But I found myself liking him more, even though he says such harsh things to me sometimes."

"It just shows that you were sincere in your feelings," Takendo said with a wry smile. "Miss Aihara is indeed a very sincere person."

They walked in silence for a little while before Takendo spoke up again. "Remember what I said earlier," he told her. "I want us to take our time getting to know each other. Even if nothing else happens, I want us to become good friends."

She nodded with a small smile on her face. Kotoko appreciated Takendo's gentleness and willingness to just be friends, so different to Kin-chan who constantly demanded her to forget her feelings for Irie-kun, something that was impossible.

Then again, how would she know if Irie-kun was the right guy for her if she didn't try dating other people? Heck, she hadn't even dated Irie-kun himself so how did she know he was the one for her? She shook her head slightly, scolding herself for thinking of Irie-kun _again_.

They talked for a bit more, exchanging information about each other, their classes, friends, hobbies, likes and dislikes. Kotoko was embarrassed to find how often Irie-kun related things came up in her list of hobbies. If that wasn't a sign that he was detrimental to her mental focus then she didn't know what was.

They even concocted a cover story of their first meeting, a coincidental meeting in the library where Kotoko had allegedly tripped into him and somehow they'd ended up talking. Kotoko knew those that knew her well wouldn't even think that she'd made up having a klutz attack considering how often she had them anyway.

After a while Ripo nagged at her mentally so and she bid farewell to Takendo and headed to the park again. Hopefully a bit of training would help take her mind off Irie-kun for a while.

* * *

><p>"So they haven't known each other long?" Naoki asked in confirmation.<p>

Ayako, leaning against a wall with her arms folded, shook her head and sighed. "No, not that I know of anyway. I've known Takendo for a long time and I've never seen them hang out together before." She straightened up quickly, blushing. "Eh, not that I take much notice of him anyway," she stammered, embarrassed by her slip up.

He hadn't noticed her slight confession; his mind was trying to puzzle together how Kotoko knew this Takendo guy. So far he hadn't made the connection.

Ayako leant back against the wall. "There has been gossip since the start of semester that Takendo had fallen for someone but I hadn't realised that it was Aihara. I don't even know how he would've come to know her; they don't share classes or belong to the same clubs."

Naoki wanted to know that too. Even if the two had only met today there had been no mistaking the look in that Takendo guy's eyes. That guy obviously had some feelings towards Kotoko.

But what did Kotoko feel towards this guy? He had seen her blushing earlier so she couldn't have been too adverse to him.

Did she really like this Takendo guy enough to forget about him? And now they were going on a date this Sunday, the weekend he had been secretly planned to move out of the Irie household. Naoki wouldn't even get to see her much after that except on campus but she'd probably want to hang out with this Takendo.

He felt like he was losing Kotoko.

Not that he'd done much to keep her, he admitted to himself, thinking of his snide comments earlier in tennis practice. He barely noticed Ayako murmur a goodbye before walking off.

He had said those things earlier because he wanted to see her reaction, to see if her feelings towards him were still the same. As Naoki expected, she had looked hurt that he seemed willing to give her away so easily. But then Takendo had asked her on a date and she had walked away without so much as a glance in his direction and his marvellous plan had backfired on him. Now she probably thought he hated her.

Naoki sighed. He may be a genius when it came to academics but when it came to things like this he still had a lot to learn.

* * *

><p>She didn't speak much at dinner that night, instead acted like Irie-kun's words hadn't affected her at all. He in turn mentioned nothing of her date with Takendo, for which she was grateful, for Mrs Irie would surely have gone into hysterics. He did however ask about what she was studying with her 'study partner' and questioned whether that guy was of any help since they studied different subjects.<p>

She wondered how he knew that but Kotoko didn't miss a beat and replied that Takendo, even though he studied law, was well versed in Japanese literature and eager to help. She added it made much more sense to ask Takendo for help rather than him, who was a student in the Science Faculty. He didn't have a good reply to that statement so instead changed the subject onto something else.

Kotoko's hand paused, fork halfway to her mouth. "Eh? So you really are moving out?" she asked. Conversation at the Irie table was always light hearted but today the conversation ground to a halt as they took in Naoki's statement.

Naoki regarded her coolly. "That's right. I'll be moving out at the end of the week, on friday. I've already arranged everything with the moving company. I've already managed to find a job to support myself with."

Immediately Mrs Irie started lamenting this, saying that he need not do such a thing, and what was wrong with home anyway? And why the heck was he telling them this so late?

"There's nothing wrong with living here," Naoki said simply. "It's just that I need to experience living on my own and doing things for myself. I can't always depend on other people." His mother looked slightly mollified after hearing that he had no issues with her housekeeping. Mr Irie seemed to agree with his son and Yuki was indifferent as always.

Naoki looked directly into his mother's eyes. "And I left it so late to tell you because I knew that you would make a big deal out of it and probably do something dramatic to sabotage the move." Mrs Irie looked embarrassed but didn't bother denying it. Everyone knew that was exactly what she would have done.

"I see." Kotoko resumed chewing her food. Truth be told she was very disheartened to hear this but she didn't let it show. After all, it was for the best. This way Irie-kun couldn't watch her as closely and would be less of a distraction to her. She was even slightly amused that the reason Irie-kun was moving out was for the same reason she had decided to get over him: to become more independent.

Kotoko only realised that her calm reaction had surprised everyone when the silence continued to prevail as they stared at her in shock. Her usual reaction, she reflected with a hint of embarrassment and remorse, would to become teary- eyed, over- emotional and over- dramatic. She could feel them watching her but she studiously ignored them and focused on her food. It helped that she felt wiped out from training earlier and her physical pain helped take her mind off any disquiet in her mind. Her muscles were stiff and sore and the main priority on her mind was to take a nice, long, relaxing bath.

The rest of dinner continued with a subdued atmosphere. Kotoko was left to her pensive thoughts as everyone else wondered why Kotoko didn't act as devastated as they had expected her to act.

Naoki glanced her way every now and again, wondering if he was really doing the right thing with continuing with his plans to move out. He tried to play down his unease. After all, he had been planning this for a few months now; he couldn't halt his plans now because Kotoko was acting weird. Sneaking another glance at the oblivious girl, Naoki vowed to keep a closer eye on her and this Takendo guy at college.

* * *

><p>Kotoko slept restlessly that night. Her conscious thoughts as she drifted off to sleep consisted of wondering whether she was doing the right thing in deceiving Irie-kun, and the fact that he was moving out of the house and away from her. All the distress that everyone had expected her to display at dinner decided to appear and torment her as she drifted off to sleep. Kotoko had given herself good reasons to distance herself from Irie-kun but she was terrified about losing him, upset that for the greater good, she should stop pursuing him.<p>

She had a nightmare in which she was confronted by a Harvester but had found herself rooted to the spot, unable to move her body. Kotoko had called out instinctively, blindly, for Irie-kun and to her relief he had come, come to save _her_. The next thing she knew his body lay crumpled on the ground and she watched in horror as the Harvester retracted its tail from his body with a vindictive grin, Irie-kun's body jerking violently, and blood splattering everywhere. His broken body lay still and his eyes were glazed and unblinking, staring unseeingly upwards and Kotoko couldn't do a thing to save him...

She had woken with a violent start, gasping harshly. If she had any lingering doubts about letting Irie-kun go then that nightmare had obliterated them. That sort of situation her nightmare had shown was exactly the sort that Kotoko wanted to avoid. True it would be hard for her to willingly not see Irie-kun but that was infinitely better than not being able to see him again because he had _died_. If that happened, Kotoko didn't know how she would cope.

She would fall to pieces, she knew that much, and she would be too distraught to carry on as a warrior and who knows what would happen to the rest of the world if she couldn't pull herself together. That, Kotoko resolved, was exactly the sort of reason why she needed to get over Irie-kun. Kotoko just hoped that she didn't become too dependent on Takendo too.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for all the lovely reviews! Between now and September I'll be working on my thesis and doing fieldwork, labwork and data analysis so updates will be whenever I have time. For now, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Four

Star

* * *

><p>The day started rather abruptly for Kotoko, more specifically, at 1.33am, when she happened to wake up with a start, sensing that something was wrong. Scarcely three seconds later before she even thought to cast her senses Ripo alerted her to a demon presence that had appeared in the region.<p>

Kotoko gave an internal groan and cursed silently, throwing off her covers at once. Secretly she was glad that the demon aura wasn't anywhere near her. For a moment she had thought that a demon had managed to sneak into the house.

She threw a contemplative look at the bedroom door. Casting her senses like Ripo had taught her, Kotoko scanned the Irie household. To her dismay, it seemed as though Oba-sama was sill awake. There was no way Kotoko would be able to sneak past her shrewd senses.

_Sigh_. The window it was then. She couldn't risk teleporting from here in case the energy beam was traced back here. From what she and Ripo could sense, the demon presence was actually quite far away and a large jump would cause a detectable energy spike.

Climbing out windows, she decided, was a far harder task than depicted on TV. She lost her footing and only just prevented herself from crashing against the house exterior. Kotoko was beyond glad that Irie-kun's room was on the other side of the house.

Luckily Kotoko caught hold of the windowsill edge and managed to find her way down with Ripo's guidance.

It was fortunately quite dark outside and so Kotoko didn't have to run far before transforming and teleporting. As an extra precaution she teleported to the park first and then to the location that the demonic aura could be pinpointed to.

Heart Warrior and Ripo found themselves on the top storey of a multi storey car park. There were no cars or human auras about but instead there was a massive crater smashed into the concrete.

Gingerly Kotoko walked to the edge and peered down. The hole extended through the layers of the parking complex, the impact must've been immense. She was faintly surprised nobody had been alerted to this. Then again the car park was part of a shopping mall on the outskirts of a town or city.

Kotoko couldn't see far down into the dark abyss but the demonic presence tugged at her consciousness ominously. She gulped. It looked as though she would have to descend through the dark hole to get to the basement level. Ripo gave an encouraging mental yip.

She formed a hollow orb around herself and levitated herself down through the darkness. Kotoko didn't dare to create an energy orb as a light source. If there were Harvesters down there then she didn't want to make herself into a target.

She suppressed a shudder as she imagined one jumping out of the darkness and mauling her to pieces. Her descent was slow and her imagination went into overdrive as the darkness made her even more nervous.

Continually casting her senses, the demonic aura was becoming closer. Her heartbeat quickened as she sensed _hundreds_ of demon life signals. What calmed her nerves slightly was that all these life signals together did not even equal the demonic aura of a Harvester. Whatever was down there was weak. Still, the numbers alone could overcome her if she weren't careful.

She made this communication to Ripo who agreed readily. Both of them sense the demon auras pulsing steadily and not moving from their position.

"_You can cast a light orb"_, Ripo said. "_If those are what I think they are then they won't be going anywhere any time soon_."

"_And if they're not what you think they are?"_ She replied back shakily, if it was even possible to do so in a telepathic conversation.

"_Don't worry; if it isn't then you have your energy orb as a shi_eld," Ripo assured firmly. "_If those Harvesters the other day could not penetrate it then what can demons as weak as these do?"_

This managed to calm Kotoko down immensely. She cast a light orb as soon as her feet made contact with the cement, the white brightness lighting up the basement level with an eerie glow.

Her eyes immediately zeroed in on the impact area. From where she stood at the edge it looked as though a giant ball of green- grey slime had crashed through the multi- storey car park but as Kotoko approached it wearily she saw that the slimy mess was actually composed of hundreds of small, circular pulsing sacs.

Kotoko had a horrible inkling of what these things were, especially when she saw multiple _legs_ moving from small, oval bodies, but she still asked Ripo for clarification, hoping that she was wrong.

The dog spirit growled. "_It's and Arachnid spy squad. The Jinn send them in to infiltrate and observe areas from obscure places. They are quick, agile and good at hiding, capable of fitting through minute spaces_."

Kotoko swallowed. Great, so not what she wanted to hear. She hated bugs, let alone demonic ones.

Some of the sacs bulged ominously, making a disgusting squelching sounds. Kotoko could see some of the arachnids shake violently within the sacs.

"_Quick Kotoko, get rid of them before they hatch!"_ Ripo instructed urgently.

"_With my sword?"_ She questioned, hand already on her sword hilt.

"_No, create an energy orb and surround the nest. If you increase the power then the energy orb should dry the nest out_," Ripo explained. "_If you try and blast the eggs then some of the Arachnids may escape and you don't want that, they're a pain to chase"_.

Kotoko did as he said at once, creating an orb like the once she had made to levitate herself down. This time she put as much energy as she could into it.

To her satisfaction, she watched as the eggs rippled violently and began to bubble. They seemed to shrivel before her eyes, releasing fume and a nasty, noxious, foul smell. Kotoko tried not to gag at the black fumes emitted. The colour of the nest darkened to a gooey black.

All the while Kotoko had her sense cast and released the orb once the last aura had faded. She approached the pile of gloop, nose wrinkled in disgust as she peered at it cautiously. Her eyes widened in alarm as she got a good look at it.

"Ripo!" she couldn't help but exclaim out loud.

Most of the eggs had shrunk in on themselves, melting from the inside into shrivelled balls. However there were a few dried eggs that consisted of flat skins, tear marks clearly visible on them with no sign of anything having been inside.

Ripo growled. "_Damn, they must've hatched before we got here"_.

Kotoko cast her senses frantically but didn't sense anything.

_It's no use_, Ripo sighed. "_These things move incredibly fast. They'll be long gone by now"_.

"_Well, it's worth having a look_," Kotoko suggested. "_It couldn't hurt to try anyway"_. She would rather see what she could do now to remedy the situation rather than wait for something bad to happen.

Ripo was proud of her determination but knew they would most likely find nothing.

* * *

><p>It was nearly 5am when Kotoko decided to head back home. They had searched within a thirty mile radius of the impact zone but had sensed nothing.<p>

If they were hiding underground Kotoko might not be able to sense them so easily. She hoped they weren't, she didn't fancy venturing into a dark sewage system, especially at night. Her courage didn't quite stretch that far yet and even Ripo said it was pointless to do so now.

Climbing back up the side of the house to her room proved harder than climbing down, especially since she was tired and groggy. She stubbed her toes and knees a few times and had to refrain herself from cursing out loud.

Her head had barely hit her pillow when, what seemed like five minutes later, her alarm went off. Kotoko groaned pitifully before reluctantly changing. Before she headed down for breakfast she found the strength somewhere to do a few yoga poses to soothe her aching body.

Kotoko trudged down to breakfast knowing she looked as awful as she felt but couldn't quite bring herself to care. After greeting everyone she didn't say anything and instead fought with a piece of toast which she was struggling to eat. Oba-sama watched the girl worriedly but kept her silence for now.

Noriko watched a rather tired Kotoko leave with her son Naoki but didn't say anything until Yuki had left for school.

As soon as she was sure that her youngest son was far from the house, Noriko started pouring out her laments to her bewildered husband Shigeki who had decided to start work a bit later that day. Noriko wailed about how she feared Kotoko was distressed and harming herself needlessly.

"Whatever do you mean?" Shigeki asked, clearly having no idea what his wife was on about.

Noriko grabbed him. "Isn't it obvious? Kotoko has some sort of eating disorder! How else do you explain all the meals she's been skipping? And all this exercise that she's been doing!"

She wailed in agitation. "And then there's those study sessions that...aha, that's it! It must be because of that boy..."

Noriko released her husband and paced around the kitchen. "Poor adorable, sweet Kotoko started changing after meeting this boy...he must be bullying her, or trying to sway her attentions from my precious Naoki! That's it, I declare him the enemy! I must find out all I can about him!" Noriko declared, not listening to her husband's placations.

Noriko would not have been so anxious if she had witnessed that morning's commute to college. Kotoko appeared to be in a bit of a daze, following Irie-kun absentmindedly. A couple of times she actually dozed off, bumping her head as she walked straight into him.

He turned around in surprise when it first happened, turning around to see a sleepwalking Kotoko. The next time it happened Naoki responded by slowing down in his walk so that he supported her somewhat.

Naoki kept close to her on the train, glaring at any guy who looked as though they would take advantage of Kotoko's less than aware state.

It was a surprised Takendo that greeted a sleepy Kotoko seemingly attached to Naoki as they approached the college gates. Kotoko managed to get out a bleary 'Good morning,' before promptly falling into a daze again. She almost walked into a wall but Naoki managed to keep her steady.

"What's wrong with Aihara-san?" Takendo asked worriedly.

Naoki sighed, casting a look at Kotoko. "She's just tired, that's all. Don't worry about it."

Whilst Kotoko was nice and distracted in her own little world, Irie-kun took the opportunity to ask Takendo a few questions about how he had met Kotoko and he reiterated the story they had weaved the day before.

"Hm," was all that Naoki said in reply. He wasn't convinced. Something was off about this whole thing.

Kotoko woke up with her start when Ripo gave her a rather sharp mental prod. Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she realised that she was at the college gates with Takendo and surprisingly, Irie-kun.

When she asked why he was still with her when he'd usually be gone, Irie-kun replied that he thought it would be nice to spend a bit of time together since he was moving out on Sunday.

Kotoko had been a little astonished at Irie-kun doing such a nice thing for her. In fact she was more than a tad sceptical. Since when had he considered her feelings like that before? A more likely reason as to why he was still there could be that Irie-kun was trying to fish for information.

Instead of questioning him for his real motives, Kotoko replied to him extra sweetly, telling him that although he was moving out, it didn't mean that they weren't friends anymore and they would still see each other at college. _Except_, she though privately, _she would be avoiding him as much as possible_.

Irie-kun stayed with them until it was almost time for classes. As he left she did not see Takendo look at Irie-kun's retreating back with a contemplative look and knowing smile.

Knowing it was best to get this over with as soon as possible to avoid incessant stalking, later that day Kotoko introduced Takendo to Jinko and Satomi. The two couldn't be more thrilled for their friend at finally having a suitable love interest.

Kotoko had tried to explain that she wasn't really dating Takeno but this fell on deaf ears. She walked off in exasperation as Jinko started speculating how their wedding would be; ignoring Takendo's sniggering at their antics.

Takendo asked if she had heard the news report that morning about suspected demon activity at a shopping mall. Kotoko replied with a vague negative and he filled her in. Apparently a team of government scientists had swooped in on the site to take samples and perform tests on what they had found there. According to him the entire area had been cordoned off for a five mile radius and there were military personnel keeping a strict control on who went in and out of the perimeter.

His information only served to remind Kotoko that she could not rely on any government authority for help, at least not yet anyway. Hopefully in time they would come to accept her. She had enough hostility to deal with without adding the government into the mix.

She had been lucky so far in that there had been only two demon appearances. Kotoko dreaded to think what would happen if there were more than one at the same time. She needed to find her allied quick, on her own she could not cope, that much was clear.

To her exasperation Kotoko found that it wasn't only Irie-kun that was acting strange today. Ayako acted strangely moody towards her, Kotoko didn't know why. She thought Ayako would be thrilled that she had 'given up' on Irie-kun. Instead Ayako needled her about Takendo, trying to find out what she had done to gain his attention.

A confused Kotoko mentally asked Ripo if the Jinn had somehow manipulated Ayako and Irie-kun into behaving so strangely. A gruff bark of laughter was the only response she got in return. That mollified Kotoko but she could not help but feel she was missing something big.

She was on her way to her next class when Ripo growled, instantly putting her on alert. Kotoko could have cried. Not again! Reluctantly Kotoko skipped classed and found a safe place to teleport away. So much for maintaining her perfect attendance record.

This time, thankfully, there wasn't a standoff between the Jinn and the police. However the scene she encountered somehow seemed worse than last time.

There was only one Harvester at the scene but at this place, a small children's playgroup that was more than enough to cause horrific damage. Her heart gave a lurch as she rapidly took in the sight a teacher trying to protect her charges, small children who couldn't be older than three.

A quick assessment told Kotoko that a few had bloody scratches on them, thankfully not too big. That however wasn't her biggest concern right now. It seemed that there had been another teacher present at the scene and by the looks of things he had tried to attack the Harvester.

Unfortunately the man found that he was no match for the demon and the Harvester decided to feast off him instead. Kotoko had been lucky enough not to encounter such a situation before but now she saw the grisly sight she had hoped never to see.

The Harvester had pierced the man's stomach with one of its deadly claws. The man screamed horrifically as blood spilled from the wound.

Kotoko knew from Ripo's information that the claw contained a toxin that would paralyse the man, and then the Harvester would take its victim back so their body could be harvested.

The sudden adrenaline rush she got banished away any fatigue Kotoko had been feeling. From arriving at the scene and taking in the situation barely a minute had passed before Kotoko went rushing in without a plan, there wasn't time for one this time.

She used her sword to make a clean cut, severing the Harvester's claw before the creature could move and further damage the man. It howled in pain but Kotoko was way ahead of it, decapitating it before it could even take a proper look at her. The man gasped as the pressure on his wounded area lessened.

The children cheered as the Harvester vanished into oblivion. Although the man was now safe from further harm, she couldn't help but think that it had been rather easy this time to destroy the Harvester. Could she have gotten better that quick?

Kotoko knelt down by the man and asked the other teacher to bring a first aid kit or cloth, something to stem the bleeding.

"What's your name?" Kotoko asked her gently. The teacher looked slightly nervous.

"Mi..Mio," the young woman stuttered out.

Kotoko tipped her head in acknowledgement."Mio. Right then, if you tend to your friend here I'll call for an ambulance and calm the children down."

Mio nodded gratefully and tended to her wounded friend. The claw was still embedded in his stomach but Kotoko's limited knowledge of first aid told her that it was better to leave it to stem the flow of blood. She knew that the claw would be extracted and experimented on and who knows, maybe those government officials would find something useful. The demon toxin would at least numb the pain for now.

She let Mio tend to the man, who she obviously cared a lot for. Kotoko in turn called for an ambulance as promised and then comforted the children, who after seeing her defeat the Harvester had lost some of their fear and were instead intensely curious. She sat with them, distracting them with toys and letting them touch and prod her.

Some of them, she thought, would probably need counselling after this. Hopefully most of them were too young to understand what was going on and therefore wouldn't remember it.

It was as she knelt down among the children that she felt a strange aura emitting from close by. Kotoko offhandedly cast her senses and sensed a malevolent black aura coming from a shelf where a pile of toys were stored.

She frowned internally, wondering what it could be; the aura was too weak to be that of a Harvester. The answer came to her mind immediately. _Arachnid_. Of course, what else could it be? Ripo advised her to approach casually and cautiously.

"_Bait"_, Ripo thought. "_Its aim was to watch you fight the Harvester, assess you and report back its findings_".

Kotoko felt sick. So what, this whole thing was a set up? These poor people...

She ushered the children closer to Mio, who gave her a questioning look. Kotoko shook her head slightly, warning her silently not to say anything. She approached the shelf in a roundabout way, making it seem as though she were just randomly checking spots in the room.

Kotoko felt the aura tense and knew she had to move fast. She sensed rather than saw it as it burst forth like a bullet. The children cried out in alarm at the sudden motion which turned to whimpers as they saw what it was she had struck.

The Arachnid was certainly a lot larger than the average spider; instead it was roughly the size of a large cat. It had a large black oval body the size of a football but vastly more slim. It had long, long legs that made it appear much bigger. The twitching legs were thickened with sharp, indigo scales. Multiple red eyes on its body roved madly as it clicked its sharp jaw skittishly. A disgusting gloop dripped from its jaw, similar to that of the egg nest from earlier.

"_The saliva contains venom that also causes paralysis. This as well as its speed is its only defence_," Ripo informed her.

The Arachnid twitched, its legs jerking in the air as it lay helpless, pinned by her sword. It continued twitching, shaking and twisting madly even as it disintegrated to dust.

"_So that was an Arachnid huh?" _She said it mentally, not wanting to worry her audience by making it seem like she didn't know what she was doing. It had been fast, she wouldn't have been able to catch it if she depended on her eyesight alone.

"_Yes, one of the lowest level rank demons, one used for gathering information_,_"_ Ripo replied. "_Looks like they've decided to infiltrate any random place. It seems we won't catch the others easily if their hiding in places like this"_.

Kotoko stayed with the teacher, Mio, until the sirens of the ambulance could be heard. She teleported out of the building to the sight of Mio's grateful smile and the children waving goodbye.

She reappeared in the same place near the college that she had come from originally and gave herself time to steady herself before going back to class. Ripo stopped her, instead telling her to go to the nurse's office instead as it would give her a plausible reason for skipping class. The nurse took one look at her face and let her rest on a bed without raising a fuss.

"_We need to disguise that necklace of yours"_, Ripo informed her before she could close her eyes. "_It's too conspicuous. If a Jinn saw you wear it in your civilian form they would immediately recognise it as the same design on your uniform_."

Kotoko sighed before reluctantly sitting back up. "_Great idea but how am I suppose to do that?_"

Ripo answered by directing his own energy towards it. The energy formed into a strong glamour, making the necklace into a simple, silver rectangular shape. Kotoko was slightly disappointed, having expected to be caught a new magic trick. Making glamours would be an awesome power to have.

Kotoko lay back down and drifted off to sleep, dreaming dreams of glamours, demons and Irie-kun.

* * *

><p>Naoki had heard through the grapevine that Kotoko hadn't turned up to one of her classes. He was worried until Nurse Mai, on her lunch break in the cafeteria, mentioned that Kotoko was resting in the nurse's office.<p>

He padded softly into the office, spotting Kotoko's vibrant auburn hair immediately spread against the crisp white sheets. He reached out, brushing the hair away from her face softly.

She was sleeping deeply and Naoki could make out the black smudges of tiredness beneath her eyes. Why was she so tired? Had she stayed up late last night?

Naoki repressed a sigh. Kotoko sure knew how to make him worry. He had probably felt that emotion more in the time that he had known Kotoko than the rest of his life. He marvelled at this girl who could cause so much havoc with his emotions

He didn't know why Kotoko had suddenly decided to hang out with Takendo. Naoki knew how strong her feelings were for him. And this wasn't like that time when she and Sudou had conspired to make him and Matsumoto jealous. Kotoko genuinely seemed to want to spend time with Takendo.

If he was going to be honest with himself, Naoki didn't like that Kotoko had gone to Takendo for help with her studies. Hadn't she always come to him before? Sure Takendo studied law which was a lot closer to literature than science but still, when had Naoki ever let Kotoko down?

Wasn't Kotoko his to look after?

He stoked her cheek lightly, fingers revelling in the feeling of her soft skin. Naoki leant closer, brushing her forehead with a light kiss.

Well then, if Kotoko was really serious about forgetting about him then it looked as though he would have to work harder to retain her affection and trust. If he wanted Kotoko to continue liking him then he would have to give her a reason to continue doing so otherwise he would definitely lose to Takendo.

* * *

><p>She woke up with a warm and fuzzy feeling as she basked in the remnants of a calm, peaceful aura. But when Kotoko looked around the office there was nobody else except her there in the infirmary. She stretched, feeling a lot more relaxed than she had done earlier.<p>

Kotoko found that she had regained enough strength to attend her remaining class which she did, even if she didn't really want to.

To help convince herself to go, she just kept telling herself that Japan didn't need a stupid heroine. That was enough to make her hotfoot it from the infirmary to class. Kotoko chose to overlook the fact that an English Literature degree probably wasn't all that useful in the grand scheme of saving the world.

After classes Sudou-sempai approached her during yet another tennis practice, whistling a jaunty tune which made Kotoko instantly suspicious of him.

"What is it?" she asked wearily. He grinned and she doubted it had anything to do with tennis practice.

"Say, isn't Irie-kun moving out over the weekend?" Sudou-sempai said innocently. "You haven't got long left living with him. Such a shame, you don't share any classes so you probably won't see each other as much."

Kotoko eyed him through narrowed eyes. "So?" She was admittedly a little cranky from the battle earlier and the thought of the work she had to make up from her missed classes and so didn't feel up to dealing with another of Sudou's schemes.

"What if I told you I knew where Irie-kun was working, eh? Then you wouldn't have to worry about never seeing him." Sudou-sempai folded his arms and beamed, evidently pleased with himself as he saw Kotoko brighten up.

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him but she managed to stop herself in time. Wasn't she supposed to worry about _seeing_ Irie-kun? With a heavy heart Kotoko forced a smile onto her face.

"Ah, it's ok Sudou-sempai, I really have no interest in knowing," she said nonchalantly and then walked away seemingly casually when she was actually restraining herself from shaking him to spill all the details.

Sudou-sempai unfolded his arms, letting them hang limply as he watched her go.

"Huh, guess she really does like that Takendo guy," he commented. "Great, now I have to find someone else to distract Irie so Matsumoto will notice me. I know I'll go find Ayako!"

* * *

><p>Despite her day already being somewhat hard going, Kotoko still had more to do after tennis practice.<p>

Takendo met up with Kotoko after her tennis practice and this time they actually did study. He went through the material that she had missed from her classes when she had mysteriously disappeared earlier.

He watched her as she concentrated intently on her work and he observed how tired she was. Takendo wondered what it was she was doing that made her so weary.

As she was working, he noticed the necklace hanging around her neck. It was just a simple silver chain with a long, plain rectangular silver charm but he couldn't help but feel that there was something strange about it.

As he tilted his head and looked at it further, Takendo thought he saw the image of a key. He blinked, checking to see if he had seen that right. A silver rectangle charm shone back at him mockingly. Takendo shook his head, wondering if he was going crazy.

He looked down at his wrist where he wore a simple silver wrist cuff. Takendo had found it last night as he had taken a wander through the dark. As he had meandered his way to a quiet spot to contemplate the beauty of the night sky, his eyes had caught sight of something silver flashing through the inky black sky. A shooting star!

Well that's what he had thought but his mind changed as the moving object fell from the sky. Huh, maybe a meteorite then.

Feeling adventurous, Takendo had followed the path of the falling object. When he reached the area that the object surely must have fallen too, he was excited to see a mini crater created by the impact. His excitement turned to wonder and surprise as he saw not a rock but the silver cuff that he wore now.

Takendo had picked it up, marvelling at its warmth.

After that his memory was hazy. He remembered hearing a terrible roar in the distance and the sound of pounding feet getting closer. The next thing he knew Takendo was in his bed at home with no memory of how he got there, wearing the silver cuff. He touched it thoughtfully wondering if he had just imagined the events last night.

Kotoko looked up from her work. "Eh? Is something wrong Takendo?" He looked up to see her looking at him with a concerned expression. Takendo blushed a little at her cute expression.

"Eh, no, nothing's wrong, my mind was just wandering, that's all," Takendo stammered.

She gave him a small smile. "Ah ok, glad nothing's wrong."

Takendo sighed internally and made himself focus on the girl in front of him rather than his crazy delusions.

* * *

><p>In order to take her mind off Irie-kun, Kotoko busied herself over the days leading up until the weekend. She stepped up her training by jogging each morning before going to college and imposed a strict diet on herself, cutting out all junk food.<p>

Kotoko had even mustered the courage to venture to the dojo on campus where she signed up to the karate and judo club. The day she joined the judo club had been training and Kotoko joined in, ending up with a few bruises after learning how to break fall and perform a basic throw.

The warm up had been tough too, she had marvelled at the strength of some members who managed to walk on their hands from one end of the mat to the other. Kotoko could barely manage five seconds.

If she was honest with herself she wasn't that hot at the actual martial arts either but Ritsu-sempai, a handsome and calm senior (totally opposite of Sudou-sempai) in the judo club and an assistant coach in the karate club, had been pleased with her determination to learn. Unlike Sudou-sempai, he didn't expect Kotoko to grasp things right away and explained that it took time and effort to get used to the techniques.

Kotoko signed up to attend judo and karate twice a week each, so along with tennis practice, she had something on every day after class. If worse came to worse she would have to drop tennis club seeing as she had only joined it because of Irie-kun anyway and since she was trying to avoid him then she had not real reason for going there now.

She resolved that she would quit the tennis club after Irie-kun had left, that way he wouldn't interrogate her anout it at home. Then it would only be a matter of avoiding him on campus and spending time out of the house when he visited. Simple right? Kotoko hoped so. She was glad she had memorised his timetable so she knew when and where on campus he would be.

The past few days Irie-kun had taken to seeking her out on campus during lunch breaks, luckily she had used the after school clubs as an excuse not to walk home with him when he asked, something Kotoko was very aware he had never asked before.

It was obvious to her he was only being nice so he could get information out of her. Again she was surprised to find she couldn't wait until he left the Irie household even though she would miss him but with him gone there would be one less distraction.

The Jinn had been suspiciously quiet of late and Ripo suggested that they were most likely analysing their surroundings closer using data from the Arachnids that had managed to escape. By now it was likely that higher up demons had figured out which were the best places to infiltrate and had assumed human guises to fit in unnoticed. Kotoko didn't know what sounded worse, that or Harvesters. In an ideal world she wouldn't have to face either but she had her job and would stick to it.

Before she knew it Friday had arrived, bringing a mixture of dread and hesitation. Today Irie-kun would be moving out.

Everyone got up bright and early to help Irie-kun load his stuff into the moving van. He refused to tell them where he was moving to as he knew he would get no peace if he did.

Oba-sama protested loudly but Kotoko didn't say a word, thinking it was probably for the best if she didn't know.

She watched as his parents hugged him and told him to visit and call often. Yuki smiled at his older brother and exchanged a joke or two. Her dad slapped Irie-kun on the back, wishing him the best of luck in his new place.

Irie-kun stood in front of her last of all, the rest of them watching and prepared to eavesdrop shamelessly. He looked at her with that cool, emotionless mask and she smiled a small sad smile as she thought about how much she would miss seeing him.

"For what it's worth, thank you for all the help you gave me, even though I was nothing but a burden for you," Kotoko began, speaking before he could open his mouth. "I'm also sorry for all the trouble I caused you."

Irie-kun frowned slightly. "It was nothing really. Besides you made life quite interesting here, if a little loud." Oba-sama gave a small cheer in the background and was promptly hushed by everyone else.

"I guess that's ok then," Kotoko said, exhaling slightly. "Then in that case, take care Irie-kun. I hope everything works out for you in your new home. Thank you again for taking care of me and for making my time here comfortable, I'll always cherish the memories of those happy times."

His brow furrowed slightly but he gave a small nod. "Thanks. Try not to do anything drastic when I leave. I guess I'll see you around."

Kotoko gave a small, noncommittal hum in reply. With a last goodbye to everyone, Irie-kun disappeared into the taxi he had ordered. She watched as it disappeared to a destination unknown, the burden on her shoulders feeling lighter but with her heart somewhat heavier.

* * *

><p>As the taxi drove him to his new abode, Naoki mulled over Kotoko's words the entire journey. Sure his parents had been annoying acting like his move was a way bigger deal than it actually was but Kotoko's reaction had bothered him more.<p>

He had, in truth, expected her to tear up and bawl about how much she would miss him. Instead her farewell had a note of finality about it, as though she were resigned to the fact that she wouldn't see him again. Why would she think that?

His brow furrowed again in worry. What was she up to? Naoki hoped that she didn't do anything stupid.

As he arrived at his destination Naoki spent the rest of the day sorting out his things in his new apartment and he was disconcerted to find that he couldn't get Kotoko and her strange behaviour out of his mind.

Later as afternoon turned to early evening Naoki relaxed down into his sofa and eyed his phone thoughtfully. He had already phoned his parents to let them know that he had arrived safely. He picked up his phone and began tapping out a text.

Kotoko was in the midst of stretching out her tired aching legs when her phone pinged, alerting her to a new message.

She had felt a bit empty inside now that Irie-kun was gone but there had been plenty to do to distract her. Kotoko had spent the rest of the morning consoling Oba-sama and putting up with her plots to track down Irie-kun. Then she had a meeting with Jinko who caught her up on her and Satomi's boyfriend gossip and troubles.

Afterwards she had gone someplace quiet to practice with her sword and to learn some acrobatic moves she never knew she was capable of doing. Granted it had taken a _while_ and _a lot_ of practice to get the moves right but still, she got there in the end.

She padded over to herbed where her phone lay and threw herself onto the soft duvet with an "Oomph!" Kotoko grabbed the phone and rolled onto her back, flipping the phone open. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she saw that the message was from Irie-kun.

Kotoko had to check several times to make sure she was not dreaming. Irie-kun had text her? She cast her mind back to the last time he had done that and came up with a blank. He had never done that before! She opened the message eagerly to see what he had written. Surely it must be important if Irie-kun had text her out of the blue.

_**Hey, how are you?**_

She blinked. Wait, was that it? Kotoko sighed internally. Well, what had she been expecting?

_**I'm good thanks, you? How's your new place?**_ She typed back, waiting a few minutes before she sent it. Kotoko was surprised when barely a minute later he replied back.

_**Fine, everything's sorted now. Been up to much today? **_Kotoko stared at the words that formed a foreign question, at least for him it was. He had never ever asked her that before. Geez, why did he have to ask these things now?

_**Not really, just hanging out with friends**_**,** she replied, figuring he didn't need to know the details of the girls' gossip.

His reply again was super quick and Kotoko wondered if there was nothing else for him to do if he had to resort to texting her to pass the time. _**With Takendo?**_

Eh? Why did he care who she met with? _**No**_, she replied, _**I'm meeting him tomorrow**_. He should remember that, after all they had been at tennis practice when Takendo had asked her out. Then again, he hadn't cared at the time and he probably didn't care now that she was going on a date.

_**I see. Try not to do anything stupid. **_

Kotoko bristled at his comment. _**And what is that supposed to mean?**_ She text back furiously.

It was a few minutes before her replied. _**Nothing.**_

Kotoko huffed as she stared at the ceiling mutinously. Even with Irie-kun gone he still found a way to invade her thoughts and confuse the hell out of her.

* * *

><p>The next day found Kotoko in a stare of nervous anticipation which she tried to quell. Even though this was not a proper date, even though her feelings for Takendo were purely of friendship, Kotoko couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach.<p>

She was going on a date. It wasn't with Irie-kun but still, she was going on her first ever date. Ok so she wasn't properly going out with Takendo but still, Kotoko Aihara was going on her first ever date!

They decided to go for a quick lunch before heading off to the amusement park. Takendo took her to a place called Donny's, a local diner which she had heard of but never been to before. They settled into a booth and chatted amiably as they awaited someone to take their order.

"Can I take your order?" the familiar, deep, (sexy) voice startled Kotoko. She looked up, gobsmacked to see Irie-kun standing at their table, notepad ready and pen poised to take their order. Her eyes took in the striped shirt and smart black trousers that of course he looked amazing in.

"Irie- Kun!" she exclaimed in surprise. "You work here?" She couldn't believe it. Even when she had not meant to encounter him Kotoko had inadvertently gone after him. She cringed mentally and hoped that Irie-kun didn't think that she was stalking him.

He actually looked a little surprised by her reaction, as if he expected her to have known that already. "You didn't know that I was working here?" Naoki asked lightly as he took in her genuinely astonished expression.

Kotoko shook her head, unable to trust herself to speak. She should've let Sudou tell her about Irie-kun's job, and then she would at least know to avoid this place.

"I'll have the Set A meal please, with a cup of coffee," Takendo said, breaking Kotoko out of her reverie.

"I'll have the same but with green tea please," Kotoko said whilst trying to calm her heart. She couldn't even remember what was in the Set A meal. Irie-kun took his time writing down the orders; Kotoko knew that with his perfect memory he needn't do such a thing.

He gazed at the two of them impassively as he finished writing and asked if there was anything else that they wanted. They declined and he walked away over to the counter where...Matsumoto stood watching the whole encounter!

The other girl said something to Irie-kun before looking back at their table. Matsumoto looked like she wanted to come over but she appeared to change her mind and instead followed Irie-kun to the kitchen. Kotoko looked down, trying not to scowl in annoyance.

It probably looked to Matsumoto that Kotoko had come here on purpose. Just a week or so ago, the old Kotoko probably would of done such a thing. The Kotoko of today however was a changed person.

When she looked back up again she found Takendo looking at her curiously. "You really didn't know that he worked here?" He asked in surprise. "Matsumoto-san joined the day after he did, the same day she found out about it actually." Takendo said that last bit with amusement in his voice.

Kotoko wondered if he had expected her to do the same thing. Great, even her date expected her to be up to date with Irie-kun's doings. Oh well, what did she expect after years of nothing but following Irie-kun around?

Kotoko held up her hands defensively. "Hey, I really had no idea he worked here. I think Sudou-sempai was going to tell me but I told him not to."

Takendo looked intrigued, as though he hadn't been expecting this sort of reaction from her but she was grateful that he said nothing more on the subject. He started talking about the 'book report they had been studying last night and how they could work on it'.

Kotoko was puzzled for this sudden talk of something they hadn't actually done until she saw Irie-kun return to their table with their drinks.

She caught on and quickly put her thoughts about the report. She internally grumbled to herself that Takendo seemed to have a far better understanding of the book than she did despite the fact he was studying a completely different subject.

Irie-kun darted her a suspicious look as he took in their conversation whilst sliding their drinks over to them.

"So where are you going on your date?" Irie-kun asked.

Kotoko looked to Takendo. "Good question, what _are_ we doing on our date?" He grinned back.

"I was thinking of going to that theme park, you know, the one on Lotus Hill?" Takendo suggested.

"Oh!" Kotoko's eyes lit up in comprehension. "You mean Wonderland Theme Park? I've heard of it but I've never been there before."

Takendo leaned forward. "Well Kotoko, prepare yourself for the time of your life. I promise to do my best to make you happy."

Kotoko couldn't help but blush at his rakish charm. Irie-kun sighed.

"Well anyway have fun. Call me over if you need anything." He walked away and Kotoko resisted the urge to watch him leave.

The two ate their meals whilst making light hearted small talk and finding out more about each other. They tried not to ask too deep questions since Irie-kun was still lurking about and they didn't want to give him the impression that they didn't know each other that well. Which they didn't but Irie-kun wasn't supposed to know that.

Afterwards Kotoko gave a small goodbye to Irie-kun and followed Takendo to his car. The drive took about twenty minutes through a route that Kotoko wasn't familiar with.

Takendo paid for both their entry tickets, much to her protests but he was very insistent. Reluctantly she relented and they entered the theme park, marvelling at all the different things to do.

They started slowly, riding the carousel first which had the potential to be embarrassing but with Takendo sitting on a plastic horse behind her, Kotoko found herself having a lot of fun as he put forth some light banter.

Next the two chose to go on something a bit more thrilling and chose a fast, looping rollercoaster. Kotoko, who had never gone on one before, had so much fun that she insisted they go on again. And then again.

Afterwards she regretted it and a laughing Takendo sat her down on a bench whilst he went in search of drinks for the both of them. It was while she sat there resting that everything went to hell, again.

An explosion shattered the cheerful atmosphere and sent Kotoko crashing to the floor. She looked up in confusion along with everyone else as she saw that the Wonderland Castle in the distance was now missing its towers. Kotoko hoped that nobody had been inside.

The confusion turned to alarm as screams began to be heard from the direction of the castle. Kotoko tensed as she sensed the familiar malevolent aura and her worst fears were confirmed as four demonic figures rose from the rubble to survey their prey

Kotoko cursed as those around her screamed in terror and began pushing past her. She managed to extract herself from the ground and made her way against the flow of people to somewhere she really didn't want to go.

* * *

><p>Takendo cursed as he fell to the ground, dropping the two cups of lemonade as he did so. However his confusion at what happened managed to remove thoughts of the sticky drink covering his clothes.<p>

He gaped as he took in the sight of Wonderland Castles, wondering what on earth had caused that to happen. When the screams started his alarm began to rise and he immediately went in search of Kotoko.

Takendo became increasingly alarmed as shouts and cried of "Demons!" reached his ears. Kotoko was no longer where he had left her. A flash of auburn hair in the crowd caught his eye.

Kotoko! But why on earth was she running that way? Four figures leapt from the castle wreckage and Takendo felt a chill go down his spine. No way!

He ran after Kotoko. No matter what, he would not let any harm come to her.

* * *

><p>Naoki was surprised when Reiko suddenly burst into the staff room. Whilst he was used to her following him, she never did so in such a dramatic way. He took in her agitated state and wondered what had happened.<p>

"Irie-kun!" Matsumoto exclaimed as she regained her breath. "Did you hear? There's been another demon attack near here! They attacked Wonderland Theme Park!"

Naoki felt his blood run cold. Wonderland...that was where Kotoko had gone! He went to leave but Matsumoto placed a hand on his arm.

"The police have cordoned off the area and blockaded the roads, and besides, it's a twenty minute drive to get there so how do you expect to get there?" Matsumoto questioned. She spoke logically with no malice; she was as worried about Kotoko as he was, even if she would never admit it.

Naoki cursed softly. "I'll try to get through to her phone. Is there no way to get there?"

Matsumoto shook her head. "No, the police are sending traffic away from the area; they're not letting anyone near, not even reporters."

Naoki grimaced, bringing up Kotoko's contact details and pressed the call button, hoping that she would pick up.

* * *

><p>They were cornered. It was to be expected really, they were the only two running towards the castle whilst everyone ran away and they had made themselves targets for the demons. Well that was what Kotoko had hoped for but not like this.<p>

The four Harvesters advanced upon them with vicious grins on their faces. It was just them and the demons, there was nobody else around. The sound of sirens growing closer could be heard in the distance but they wouldn't be much help.

Takendo stood with his arms spread out wide, protecting Kotoko and bracing himself for the inevitable pain.

He received it, in the form of Kotoko grabbing his shoulder and shoving him behind her. As Takendo fell to the ground his eyes widened in surprise as he took in the form of the recognisable Warrior of the Key, Heart, charging at the demons. A fleeting look behind him confirmed that Kotoko was no longer there.

Ah. Now he knew the real reason why Kotoko had been pushing herself to the brink of exhaustion and why she had run towards the demons. He watched anxiously as Kotoko dove into a fight with the demons, wishing he could help her somehow and marvelling how different she looked from her usual self.

Takendo felt his wrist burning and he looked down to find the silver cuff he had found glowing brightly. As the glow brightened a design unfurled upon the cuff, an etching of an ornate key with a key handle in the shape of a star.

He watched as the gold glow grew into a golden mist that shone brightly, almost blinding him. The mist solidified until he found himself looking into the eyes of a gold phoenix.

"_I am Kiko, here on behalf of Her Highness Princess Minako to seek your assistance_," a soft, somewhat feminine spoke, the words resonating in his mind. "_I cannot explain everything right now but if you truly want to help your friend than please accept my assistance_."

Takendo did not even hesitate as he looked up to watch a clearly struggling Kotoko fighting to prevent the three demons from reaching him. To her credit she was putting up a good fight but then again so were the demons.

"I accept," he replied firmly. The golden light shone ever brighter, enveloping him in a cocoon. He felt his clothes become heavier and heavy objects weighed down on his back.

As the glow faded Takendo reached over his shoulder, feeling the outline of twin blades and a shield strapped to his back. He touched the shield, a light, compact round shield, and removed one of the swords but his instincts tugged at him to do something else. He removed his hands from his weapon and held them out instead to the demon.

Takendo felt a warmth swirl through his arms towards his fingertips. "_Concentrate,_" Kiko instructed. "_Think clearly about what you want to do_."

What did he want? Energy thrummed at his fingertips and he had a vision of a yellow orb of energy forming in his hands before it disappeared as he thought indecisively. No, not that, he couldn't risk hitting Kotoko.

_What I want, _he thought as he watched the demons swift movements, _is a way to keep them still_. With this thought the energy flowed from his fingertips and he felt the energy pull him as it struck the demons dead on.

Warrior Heart spun round in surprise, taking in the sight of him and no Takendo. Her mask prevented him from seeing her expression but the pause was brief before she then took advantage of the moment and struck the closest demon. Takendo followed suit and proceeded with his withdrawn sword, the other hand keeping the demons in place.

The rest was relatively easy to take care of. Takendo retracted his sword and watched the demons turn to dust. He turned in time to see Kotoko sheath her sword as dust billowed away from her.

His masked friend tipped her head in acknowledgement. "So then, I guess I have lots of explaining to do, right?"


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry this chapter's late. As always thank you for the reviews. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

Quickening Shadows

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><p>Before Kotoko could explain anything to Takendo they both caught sight of people starting to trickle back to the wrecked castle, probably wondering why the demons were not loner in pursuit. She grabbed onto Takendo's arm and transported them to another location within the theme park, materialising somewhere where Ripo assured her there was nobody about.<p>

She and the spirit guardians promised Takendo that they would explain things to him as soon as they got away from here. In the meantime Kotoko felt it was her duty to slip back into the crowd of people and help the injured as much as possible, once she had sorted Takendo and herself out first. Kotoko had sprained her left ankle a little but she ignored this insignificant injury so she could help those with more significant problems. By then the military officers swooped in to secure the area and tried to calm everyone down. Paramedics arriving at the scene were directed to those seriously injured, with military and police personnel accompanying them in case the demons weren't as gone as they thought.

Takendo had to make her turn away when they loaded body bags onto waiting ambulances. She was shaking hard at the evidence of her failure to protect everyone. She had failed to do her job. His arm slipped around her shoulders comfortingly as she began to cry. She was far from the only one to do so but she didn't notice.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear. "It isn't your fault. You couldn't have known this was going to happen. You did the best you could." Kotoko didn't say anything, just leant closer into him for support.

It took a while to escape from Wonderland. The officers directed everyone to a safe area, providing first, aid, blankets, and hot drinks. Then before they could leave each person was questioned about what had happened, what they had seen. Had Kotoko not been in such a state of grief then she may have been annoyed at how some of the military personnel seemed more concerned with finding more about the Warriors rather than the demons.

She was heartened a little when many of those there defended the actions of the Warriors, claiming that they had arrived on the scene quickly to take care of the demons before further damage could be done. True, she had done the best she could have done but that wouldn't be much of a comfort to the relatives of those who had been lost forever.

When their turn for questioning came and went, they went into the car park only to witness a rather jumpy driver crash into Takendo's car. After calming the man down and sorting out insurance details, the two set off somewhere else.

"Let's find someplace quiet to go," Takendo suggested, looking carefully at Kotoko's tear stained face. "I don't think you're ready to go home yet."

That was how Kotoko found herself once again sitting in the park where she had first gained her powers. They sat there in silence until Kotoko finally decided that she had kept him in the dark long enough.

They talked for ages afterwards and Kotoko filled him in on the Jinn and what she knew as well as Princess Minako's plight. Takendo had not been fortunate to speak to the Princess. Kiko informed them that the Princess was most likely trying to conserve her energy. Kotoko then demonstrated her powers for him and watched as he took a turn teleporting and trying to form energy orbs. He picked it up a lot quicker than she had, much to her chagrin.

As the two watched the phoenix and dog spirits chase each other, they analysed their powers. Takendo, as he had discovered earlier, had the very cool power of telekinesis. Whilst Kotoko could move objects within an energy orb Takendo could move the actual object itself as well as manipulate its shape. Kotoko envied him slightly for his ability as it allowed him to provide more of an attack and defence front, different from the espionage abilities her powers gave her. His ability to form energy orbs was similar to hers except his energy took on a yellow coloured form. Their guardians had informed them that all magic users had this ability and the colour indicated the user's personality.

"So this is really why you wanted to distance yourself from Irie," Takendo mused.

Kotoko hummed in agreement. "Do you understand? It wouldn't be good if he got involved in this."

Takendo gave a small chuckle. "Wow, I can't believe things turned out like this!" he glanced at her sideways. "Don't worry; I said before that I would help you. Now I just have even more of a reason to do so."

Kotoko stretched slightly, smiling gratefully. "Arigatou. I'm glad that I no longer have to do this alone. It seems less scary now that there are two Warriors."

He nodded in agreement. "I guess we should look for the others as soon as possible. I guess you will be more useful here since you can sense auras." She grimaced at the reminder.

Takendo looked at her thoughtfully. "This may seem like I'm trying to take advantage of the situation but I have a suggestion to make."

"Oh? What is it?" Kotoko asked curiously.

He looked a little embarrassed. "Well, we're going to be spending a lot more time together now right? More time than necessary for 'study sessions.' Wouldn't it make sense to let other people think we are dating? That way nobody will get suspicious if we hang out a lot."

"Date?" Kotoko echoes, a little faintly.

"Pretend to date," Takendo interjected quickly. "Like I said before, I know you still like Irie and I'm fine with just being friends."

"Hmm." Kotoko said uneasily. He had a good point, and besides, she had agreed to go on a date with him. But that was because he had been so kind to her, and because it was a more of a get-to-know-each-other date rather than a romantic date. Actual dating, or pretending to actually date, was a totally different thing altogether.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Kotoko said finally. "And it's unfair for you too, pretending to be in a relationship with someone you've confessed to. If we did act as couple are you sure you'll be ok with it? Really be ok with it?" First he had offered to pretend to tutor her so Irie-kun would get off her back. Surely this would be asking too much of his goodwill.

He smiled that kind smile as if he could sense her thoughts. "Kotoko you worry too much. Just like you've made sacrifices, I'll have to as well. I think that we can both agree that this whole Jinn thing is way more important than having a relationship at the moment, especially as right now it's us two against all of them."

Well, when he put it that way...Kotoko definitely agreed now wasn't the time for romance.

"I won't kiss you," Takendo promised. "Even if I want to." Kotoko turned a little red. "All that's involved is saying that we're a couple. That should keep any nosey people off our trail." They both knew that by nosey people he especially meant her friends, Irie-kun and Mrs Irie. "Besides," he added mischievously, "The chances of you actually liking me are even higher now."

Kotoko batter his arm playfully. "Takendo!" she exclaimed.

"Just kidding, just kidding," he said with a laugh. "...Maybe. But onto more important things, like how are we supposed to contact each other when we run into trouble?" Takendo suddenly made an 'oomph' noise as Kiko landed on his head.

"As you have discovered, both Ripo and I can converse telepathically with you. Even over long distances we spirit guardians may communicate with each other, in turn allowing us to relay information to our charges, that is, providing that there are no magical barriers in place. For now this is how we shall communicate," Kiko spoke elegantly. Kotoko didn't even know that animals could be so eloquent but then again Kiko was a majestic phoenix.

Takendo frowned. "But what if there are magical barriers or for some reason you have to leave us?"

Kotoko looked thoughtful. "I guess we'll just have to rely on mobile phones. Shoot! Then I'll definitely have to get a new one now!" Takendo agreed.

"My phone's messed up too. Hey...do you think our families have been trying to get in contact with us? I guess the Wonderland incident must be all over the news by now."

Kotoko's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no! Our families must be frantic!" She suddenly took note of the darkening skies. "I didn't realise it was so late! We'd better hurry home!" There's no way that Irie-kun would forget that she had gone to Wonderland with Takendo and by now he must've relayed the information to his family if he'd heard of the incident. Which he would've done as he was Irie-kun and nothing seemed to escape him. She just hoped that she wouldn't get into trouble.

* * *

><p>Naoki had taken off before it was even his lunch break and had run, taxied and bussed as far as he could towards Wonderland but there was indeed a police barricade and so he had been forced to turn back in vain. With no other options, all he could do was to ring Kotoko's phone multiple times but it was also in vain for she didn't pick up a single time.<p>

Despondently he made his way back to Donny's and Matsumoto wisely didn't make any mean comments about Kotoko. His boss, having been informed by Matsumoto about the turn of events, graciously let him off early to head back home to wait for news of Kotoko.

It was a very stressed and worried Naoki who returned not to his new home but to the Irie household to explain things to his family. His family were surprised to see him back so soon but this quickly turned to alarm as he conveyed what had happened. Of course there had been pandemonium when they had heard what he had to say, even Yuki looked uneasy. Shigeo was called at once and Kotoko's father had closed his shop immediately to rush back.

The report on the news stated that the situation was unknown; reporters were not being permitted access to the site at the moment. This news was repeated over and over until eventually reports came out that a few people had witnessed Warrior Heart at the scene with a new, mysterious accomplice and that soon after the demons had been vanquished. Naoki allowed himself to relax a little knowing that the demons had been dealt with.

So here they all were, once again waiting in tense anticipation for Kotoko. Nobody said anything much as they listened to the news, the only one who spoke much was Shigeo, who called Kotoko's phone every few minutes or so. They all stared with their eyes glued to the TV as images of the destruction at Wonderland began appearing onscreen. Naoki felt the unease flare up as he calculated the scale of destruction. The explosion would have caused he debris to travel quite far, and the castle wasn't the only building damaged in the explosion. Then the aftershocks would have caused a fair amount of damage too.

He was right. A lot of people had been injured by the explosion. The seriously injured were those that had been in the castle when it had exploded heart wrenchingly a large number of those injured were small children. They prayed that Kotoko had managed to get away unscathed.

Reiko text him to ask if he had heard anything. Apparently Ayako was going crazy with worry about not being able to contact Takendo, Reiko had obviously told her cousin that Takendo had gone to Wonderland. Brushing aside the irrational annoyance that the mention of the other guy brought up, Naoki replied with a negative. He would put aside his feelings about Takendo as long as the other guy had looked after Kotoko and kept her safe. If he hadn't then Naoki didn't know what he would do.

The hours trickled by painstakingly and they remained in their seats or took to pacing the living room, ignoring feelings of hunger. Finally, just as it was getting dark, they heard the front door open.

As one their heads snapped towards the sound and they all jumped out of their seats just in time to see the sight of a weary and limping Kotoko being supported into the room by Takendo, who looked rather battered himself. Naoki chose to ignore the arm around Kotoko's waist and instead focused his concerned gaze on the bruise on her face and the scratches and bruises marring her arms and legs.

Kotoko plopped down into a chair gratefully as her dad and Noriko swopped on her immediately. Shigeki kindly thought to offer Takendo a seat, which he gratefully accepted. Takendo had a fair few scratches and bruises but not as much as Kotoko, Naoki observed with keen eyes.

Kotoko managed to calm down his rabid mother and her stressed out father long enough to introduce Takendo. "This is Takendo, he is my boyfriend," Kotoko said simply.

Her boyfriend. Naoki could only stare at her in incomprehension. What? Hadn't Kotoko been saying up till now that she wanted to go on a few dates with Takendo to get to know him better before they decided to become a serious couple? When had that changed?

Takendo smiled and gave a small wave before shaking Shigeo's outstretched hand. "I'm sorry I have to meet you in such a way, this isn't how I wanted to introduce myself," Takendo said mournfully. "And I'm sorry that Kotoko got hurt whilst she was with me."

Naoki bit back a retort. It was woefully obvious to him that this guy clearly wasn't good enough to be with Kotoko if he couldn't even look after her properly.

Kotoko protested. "Hey, it's not your fault. You went to get me a drink because I felt sick. It's not like you knew that they were going to attack." Upon hearing this Shigeo agreed and assured Takendo that there was nothing to forgive and he was grateful that he had brought Kotoko home.

Takendo and Kotoko both explained that they hadn't been close to the castle but they had still been knocked to the ground by the explosion. They had both been jostled by the crowd in the ensuing panic. They had stopped to help a few people too before the paramedics arrived. It had taken a while to get home with the area in panic, not to mention the confused orders from the military and police. Takendo's car had been accidentally hit by a panicking driver and so they had to get public transport, once they had been allowed to escape the questioning of the police that is.

They were both clearly at their limit. Mrs Irie ordered them to rest and even offered to let Takendo stay, much to Naoki's inward annoyance. Thankfully Takendo declined, saying that he needed to get back to his own family. Both his and Kotoko's phones had been damaged during the escapade. Kotoko helplessly held out the plastic remain of her phone for them to see.

Shigeki graciously offered to drive Takendo home, in fact he wouldn't hear of anything else. Kotoko made to get up and see him off but Takendo made her stay, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before leaving. Mrs Irie watched him leave worriedly, whether the worry was for the boy's wellbeing or his status as Kotoko's boyfriend Naoki did not know.

When they looked back to Kotoko the found that she had fallen asleep. Before Shigeo could act out Naoki scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs. After all he had a lot of experience in taking care of Kotoko and he wasn't about to let her down now.

* * *

><p>When Naoki placed her gently upon her bed he frowned at the sight. She looked like a broken doll lying on the sheets and her injuries looked even worse contrasted against the pink and white bedspread, even if he knew in his mind that they were just superficial injuries. His eyes zeroed in on her swollen ankle and at once decided he needed to take action.<p>

He left her room for a few moments, returning with a towel, bowl of water and first aid kit in his arms. Drawing a chair up close to the bed, Naoki set upon the work of cleaning every single cut and bruise he could see. He worked meticulously, dabbing at each one with water, patting it dry with a towel and rubbing on a little antiseptic ointment. He didn't want to keep count of the number of plasters he used but his mind wouldn't let him forget that there were eleven opened wrappers lying on the floor so far.

Naoki gently lifted Kotoko's left foot and proceeded to clean that too. He carefully wrapped a bandage around her ankle, constantly peeking at her face to make sure that she didn't awaken from his ministrations. When he had finished with this task, he then went about combing the dust and pieces of debris from her hair, gently handling the silky strands of her hair.

He cleaned her face too, touching her skin with the gentlest of touches. Her lips were parted slightly and before he even registered what he was doing Naoki reached out to touch them. Kotoko's lips were soft and her warm breath tickled his fingertips. One finger gently traced the outline of her lips, the touch bringing back vivid memories of stolen kisses. He wondered if Takendo had the chance to kiss her or if his chance had been interrupted by the demon attack. A very small selfish part of him felt satisfaction if that indeed was the case.

As he continued to look down at her sleeping form, it occurred to him that Kotoko most likely had more bruises underneath her dress. Naoki swallowed nervously. Clearly he hadn't been thinking properly when he had brought her upstairs. His hand ghosted by her waist, wondering at what the best course of action would be.

"Naoki?"

His eyes widened and he turned quickly, catching sight of his mother standing in the doorway. Noriko took this as an invitation to come into the room, assessing the girl on the bed. She didn't have that gleeful expression on her face that often troubled him and Naoki felt some relief that she might not have seen him being so...intimate with Kotoko.

"You've done a great job fixing Kotoko up," Noriko commented in a gentle, quiet voice. "I'll do the rest. Why don't you go and get some sleep? Of course you can stay here tonight instead of going back to your apartment."

Naoki blinked in surprise as he suddenly remembered that actually yes, he had in fact moved out. He was hit with a sudden fatigue as the events of the day caught up to him. Naoki cast one more look at Kotoko.

"Fine. I'll go tell Yuki I'm staying."

Noriko watched him leave and shut the door behind him. First she set about removing Kotoko's ruined dress and replacing it with her pyjamas. Then, once Kotoko was safely and comfortably tucked into her bed, Noriko allowed herself to do a silent victory dance. It was just a jig on the spot; she didn't want to wake Kotoko up. But it was a dance nonetheless.

So, her son _did_ care for Kotoko after all. Noriko had been worried that Naoki really wasn't interested in Kotoko at all but the little scene she just witnessed dispelled that. Naoki obviously had some sort of feelings for the girl. She just wished it hadn't taken such an incident such as the demon attack to make him realise it.

Noriko let out a soft sigh. Kotoko was obviously disturbed by what had happened today and she would need a lot of support. She wondered briefly about this Takendo guy who was apparently Kotoko's boyfriend. Noriko wasn't as worried by this claim as her family might think. She was a master in reading emotions and she knew that although Takendo obviously liked Kotoko (and who wouldn't?) and Kotoko got on well with him, the atmosphere between them wasn't one of a couple. No, those two were up to something but she couldn't think what. She wondered if it was to do with all those study sessions that Kotoko was taking.

The older woman smiled slightly. No matter what the reason for Kotoko claiming Takendo as her boyfriend, she hoped that it would spur Naoki into action. If events had happened differently she might even have persuaded Kotoko to go out with Takendo to make her son jealous. Kotoko probably wouldn't have liked that idea though. Oh well, her son was starting to really take notice of Kotoko now and she hadn't even had to engineer the situation. Maybe they didn't need her help after all.

* * *

><p>Considering everything that she had been through, Kotoko had a relatively dreamless sleep, protected by a safe presence.<p>

When she woke up as the sun began to rise and she did so with a small, content smile and it took at least thirty seconds before her mind reconnected her with the incidents from the day before and at once the smile was wiped off her face as she face up to the sobriety of the situation.

People had died yesterday because she hadn't done a good enough job. Even if Ripo and Takendo didn't blame her Kotoko would always blame herself. Even if she had never wanted to be a Warrior she had still vowed to take her role seriously and do her best to protect her fellow citizens. The taste of failure left her with an unbelievable feeling of despair and bitterness. Kotoko was determined not to fail again.

Kotoko made a move to get out of bed and looked down in surprise at her sprained foot. It still hurt but the pain had been minimised by an expertly wrapped bandage. In fact, she suddenly realised, all her cuts and bruises had been cleaned and plasters placed over the most damaging ones. Scrunching her face in confusion, she found that she couldn't remember doing this herself. In fact, she didn't recall even going to her room at all.

Her clothes had been changed too, she wore her clean flannel pyjamas and there was no sight at all of her ruined date outfit. Kotoko reasoned that it must be the work of Mrs Irie, and vowed to thank her. At least, she _hoped_ it was the work of Mrs Irie.

She pulled on her slippers and padded down to the bathroom with her clothes. Without really looking properly, Kotoko reached to push the door open only to fall forward slightly as the door suddenly opened. She only caught a fleeting glance of Irie-kun's face before her head smacked into his chest.

"Irifh-kup?! Vaf ere yooi dong hor?!" Kotoko spluttered.

Naoki pushed her away from him. "What?"

Kotoko brushed her hair out of her face. "I said, what are you doing here?" Great, just what she needed, to make a spectacle of herself in front of Irie-kun again. She had hoped that with him moving out she would have no more embarrassing incidents.

He only shrugged at her. "I stayed over the night." Her inner self cursed at herself for not thinking of the possibility that he would stay over sometimes. Kotoko had thought that he wanted to put a distance between himself and home for a while. Some of her horror most have shown on her face because he raised an eyebrow and said with that annoying smirk of his, "Hey, just because I moved into my own place doesn't mean I won't come back here. It's still my home, or did you forget that? I'm a little hurt, you got used to being without my presence so quickly? You really are quite fickle."

As counting to ten to calm her nerves would take too long, Kotoko merely said through gritted teeth, "I need to use the bathroom."

His annoying smirk persisted. "Well I would move but you're standing in my way." Kotoko moved aside at once and he sauntered out of the bathroom slowly. "See you at breakfast," Naoki remarked casually. Kotoko shut the bathroom door behind her a little harder than necessary.

Geez, just when she thought she had gotten rid of him he had to pop up again. Kotoko fumed for a bit but then felt a bit guilty when she remembered that he must only have come over yesterday because he had heard about Wonderland and had known that she was there. She didn't really know how to feel knowing that she was the reason he had come back to the Irie household so soon. She would have to work hard to avoid worrying everyone like that again.

Kotoko suddenly brightened up, thinking of an excellent idea. She mentally poked Ripo, only to become disappointed when he shot her idea down at once. Turns out it wasn't possible to create a magical clone of herself. Some magic users, he informed her, could make illusions but to make a solid clone that mirrored one's personality and memories required so much energy that it would draw the Jinn like bees to honey. And besides, illusion making wasn't one of her abilities anyway. Oh well there was no helping it, she would just have to continue with her usual teleporting and running home as fast as humanely possible routine.

She was considerably calmer when she went down for breakfast, repeating the reasons in her mind why she shouldn't get cross at Irie-kun. However when she sat down Kotoko got a little bit freaked out at how the others were looking at her.

"Heh...is something wrong?" Kotoko asked nervously.

"Hn," was all that Yuki said but he stared at her with a gaze removed of the traces of his usual condescension. He silently pushed a stack of pancakes towards her and placed a bottle of syrup near her. He then surprised her further by pouring her a cup of tea. Kotoko was touched at his odd behaviour but knew better than to do anything other than mutter a quiet "Thank you." He nodded in response and continued with his meal. Kotoko realised that Yuki must've been worried about her too. She worked hard to fight the grin that threatened to break out on her face.

Oba-sama was looking at her with a dopey, dreamy expression, like she had some happy, romantic news that she was just dying to tell Kotoko. She kept taking peeks at Irie-kun and sighing happily. Kotoko pretended not to be freaked by this, especially as she had introduced Takendo as her boyfriend the day before. Had something happened that she didn't know about?

Speaking of Irie-kun, his look was the freakiest of all. He had finished his food already and sat scrutinising her with his chin resting on his propped up arms like some evil villain. His gaze was steady and unblinking and she looked away quick. Kotoko couldn't sense any abnormal energy from him but his gaze made her feel as if he could look right into her soul.

"Ah, isn't nice that Naoki will be going with you to college today?" Oba-sama sighed happily. "Just when we all thought that we would hardly see him he comes back again so soon. Aren't you glad Kotoko-chan?"

"Hehe, yeah..." Kotoko said weakly. She risked a glance at Irie-kun, who only smirked at her unconvincing tone.

On the way to college they didn't speak much but once they got off the train Irie-kun started his grilling of her. He wanted to know what happened from her point of view, why she was more bruised than Takendo, and why it took so long to get back. It seemed as though he wasn't really convinced by her excuses yesterday.

Kotoko answered as truthfully as possible. Of course, when it came to mentioning the demon fights she claimed to have been caught up in the crowd. Her excuses for why it took so long to come back sounded a little weak, it was only a twenty minutes or so drive to Wonderland and even with a blockade and controlled traffic flow that wouldn't have made her get home as late as she did.

"How did you know, you weren't there were you?" She countered back in defence. Naoki didn't reply, it was true after all, but after a few moments of awkward silence Kotoko eventually conceded that Takendo had taken her away to comfort her and calm her down after seeing the dead bodies being taken away.

Naoki didn't question her anymore after she said that. He could see that she had been greatly affected by what she had seen and knew that it was something that she would probably never forget. He just didn't know that it affected her more because of her responsibility as a Warrior.

Before they went their separate ways, Naoki handed something to her. "Here, take this, it's my old mobile phone but it's still a decent model. My number and home's number is already saved on it. If you need help with anything just call me." He seemed to hesitate slightly, and then said with a great effort, "Even if you just want to talk it's ok to call me." Although he didn't look like it, Naoki felt slightly awkward saying that. He wasn't used to comforting people and he hoped Kotoko didn't think that he didn't want her to call.

Kotoko took it gingerly. It was a slim, flip-phone design, simple yet elegant in design. "Is it really ok for me to have this?" she asked softly.

He smiled slightly. "Sure, it's not being used. Besides it saves you having to buy a new one, and getting a new job to pay for a new one. With your grades the last thing you need is a job to distract you from your studies."

She rolled her eyes. "Well thanks, I guess." Kotoko tucked the phone away carefully in her handbag then looked at him slightly awkwardly. "So I'll probably see you around on campus?" she asked, hoping he would reveal his plans so she could avoid him.

Naoki gave a small smile. "Maybe, who knows? I might just decide to go back home for a visit sometime whenever I feel like it."

Kotoko watched him leave and sighed. Great. Just when she thought she could get over him easier if he weren't home he reveals that he'll just randomly come back without warning. Great, that's just what she needed.

* * *

><p>A few hours later found Kotoko wedged between her friends, head cradled in her arms as she determinedly did not look towards Irie-kun, who she had spied moments earlier from the corner of her eye, walking past her aisle to take a seat somewhere behind her in their shared English Language class.<p>

The professor, who Kotoko disliked immensely since he often picked on her just to ridicule her, was late. Since Kotoko didn't care much for him she didn't mind at all. Instead she closed her eyes, letting the chatter of the other students wash over her. Giggles, whispers and rumours found their way to her ears but she did not care for any of them.

It could not be a few moments longer when the students suddenly hushed and she felt rather than saw the people around her straighten up and face the front. But that wasn't all. A prickling at her consciousness alerted her to someone entering the lecture hall. No...not someone. _Something_.

She opened her eyes slowly, dreading what she might see and so she did so calmly without making any sudden movements so as to draw attention to herself. But when she assessed the situation, there was no sight of any demon. Confused, she followed the other students' gazes to the front of the hall to where a rather human male figure stood writing onto the board.

No. Kotoko looked at the man carefully. Surely her senses were not deceiving her?

The man finished writing his name on the blackboard. He turned around to face them, revealing the name Dr T. Miyami written in chalk. The man was tall and slim, with dark hair showing no hint of grey. He pushed back his glasses with his fingers and smiled at the class. Kotoko felt a chill run down her spine.

Kotoko vaguely heard a few girls tittering about how good looking the man was.

"Good afternoon class," the man said in a smooth, charming voice that immediately captured everyone's attention. "As you can see, I am Dr Miyami, a professor of the language department. I'm sorry to inform you that your usual teacher, Dr Ai, has fallen ill and will not be returning for some time. For now I will be his replacement."

He moved out of the sunlight and the glare from his glasses disappeared, causing Kotoko to see his eyes. They were a dark green colour, some may call them beautiful eyes but Kotoko only saw coldness. Despite Dr Miyami's polite smile and demeanour, his eyes betrayed a hint of something much, much darker. Kotoko could feel his dark aura, the waves of dark energy affecting her much more than that of the Harvesters. Her head began to throb.

"_Ripo"_, Kotoko whispered in her mind, as if speaking loud in a telepathic conversation. "_What is he?_"

Ripo growled softly in her mind. "_Shape shifter_," her spirit guardian growled. "_This is bad. I had hoped they would've waited longer until they started infiltrating themselves. Guess the Arachnids already gave them enough information to blend in_."

"_They_?" Kotoko echoed.

"_Be careful Kotoko_," Ripo warned. "_This is a more powerful demon than you've dealt with before. They're moving much faster than I anticipated. This isn't good_."

What an understatement. Kotoko sunk into her seat, not wanting the demon to notice her. She could feel how powerful it was, its energy was greater than anything she had felt before from the Jinn. What's more, she felt that the demon was holding back a far greater power. She felt Ripo shift in her mind as he took notice of this too.

"_Are all shape shifters this powerful_?" she said fearfully.

"_No. Many shape shifters can only maintain a borrowed form for a few hours, give or take_," Ripo whispered back. "_I almost don't believe it_."

"_What is it_?" Kotoko asked anxiously.

"_It's one of the higher demons_," Ripo whispered back just as anxiously. "_A demon mage_."

"_Ah_," was all Kotoko could say in reply.

Not good. Not good at all.


End file.
